Back in February, U.S. Representative Joe Barton of Texas introducedH.R. 702, a no-nonsense, plain-language piece of legislation that will lift the ban on U.S. oil exports. The bill has gathered momentum and will hopefully soon become the law of the land if Congress moves forward.

Since its introduction, H.R. 702 has earned the support of a total of 136 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, including the following Colorado members of Congress (as of mid-September):

Ken Buck (R), representing the 4th District

Mike Coffman (R), representing the 6th District

Doug Lamborn (R), representing the 5th District

Ed Perlmutter (D), representing the 7th District

Scott Tipton (R), representing the 3rd District

All of these elected officials deserve our thanks, and many members of Energy Citizens have met with their Representatives to thank them for their support.

Rep. Ken Buck deserves a shout-out for writing a guest commentary on this issue, which appeared in the Denver Post: “Lift Export Ban on Crude Oil.” He rightly points out that exporting oil will increase the overall global supply, resulting in lower gas prices for consumers. Lifting the ban will also ensure that “economic growth in the energy sector continues to provide valuable jobs to hardworking Americans.”

Representatives Diana DeGette (D-1) and Jared Polis (D-2) have not yet taken a position on this issue.

Once again, anti-energy activists, supported by out-of-state organizers, are attempting to amend the Colorado Constitution in order to block energy development.

Last month, Coloradans for Community Rights submitted a ballot proposal to the Colorado Legislative Council to place the“Colorado Community Rights Amendment” (CCRA)on the 2016 ballot. A similar measure failed to collect enough signatures to make it to the ballot in 2014.

Under the guise of “local control,” activists want to be able to ban energy development at the local and county level. Currently—and generally standard across the country—energy development is regulated at the state level.

At the very least, the CCRA would lead to a costly patchwork of regulations that would drive up energy development costs—and drive energy investments and jobs out of the state.

If the ballot measure is approved by election authorities, activists will begin collecting signatures early next year to place the measure on the ballot in November 2016. About 99,000 valid signatures will be needed for the measure to qualify.

The best way to fight back against this measure is to share with other Coloradans—friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and others—the facts about local energy development. Oil and natural gas are tightly regulated. In fact, Colorado has some of the most stringent energy development rules in the nation.

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are each more than 90 percent dependent on energy imports according to recent paper by the American Council for Capital Formation. These important allies would have little choice but to consider Iranian oil imports to meet their domestic energy needs if the United States refuses to export its abundant supplies of crude oil. By allowing U.S. energy exports, we can step up as a global energy leader to better support and protect our allies while at the same time strengthening our own economic security.

America’s success is structured on the principles of free trade and individual opportunity. Those values are the strongest tool we have to carry our message of hope to people around the world. We should not be afraid to leverage our physical resources to demonstrate such ideals. In doing so, we will offer a helping hand to our allies – all while creating opportunity here at home.

If American crude is allowed to be sold on the world market, it will reduce the strength of unfriendly nations such as Iran and Russia. Banning American oil exports only helps these nations and their leaders exert pressure on our allies around the world.

Denver is not a hotbed of energy development. In fact, according to the Denver Post, the only place in the area with recent drilling activity is out by the Denver International Airport—which is not within the boundary of Denver city-county. State records show that no drilling is planned for Denver.
But even without any fracking or drilling activity in Denver, anti-fracking activists have launched a “Don’t Frack Denver” campaign and went so far as to stage a protest on the steps of city hall. Activists are demanding a local fracking moratorium—even though similar moratoriums in other cities have been overturned by the courts.

The activist campaign represents grandstanding; it may draw attention, but it cannot have an immediate direct effect since there is no fracking in Denver to ban in the first place. Still, community and business leaders did not dismiss the threat of this effort. Peter Moore, the chair of Vital for Colorado said, “Groups that peddle fear, instead of facts, are out to hurt Colorado’s economy and out to reduce the tax base that supports our schools, parks and libraries.”

The Denver Post editorialized that government officials essentially should not give “Don’t Frack Denver” activists the time of day. The paper blasted activists for spreading misinformation and adding nothing credible to the discussion about energy: “Comprehensive opposition to fracking, the demonization of industry, and the trumpeting of a study that the state’s own health department felt obliged to repudiate are not a responsible contribution to the debate.”

It’s disheartening that anti-fracking fervor continues to rear its ugly head in Colorado. Reasonable debate is one thing, but calls for fracking bans driven by fear are not reasonable. We should all remain vigilant and ready to push back with the facts. The truth is, fracking is safe, Colorado energy development is tightly regulated, and energy is critical to Colorado’s economy.

On the first day of the new session of Congress, Colorado Senators Michael Bennet (D) and Cory Gardner (R) joined a bipartisan group of Senators to co-sponsor the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act (S. 33).
If enacted, the legislation will speed up the U.S. Department of Energy’s process for approving exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Currently, export permits and LNG infrastructure approvals are slowed by excessive red tape.

The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of natural gas, with Colorado being a leading a supplier. Exporting natural gas will not only help the Colorado economy and create jobs, it will also benefit our allies and bolster global energy security. Currently, much of Western Europe relies heavily on natural gas from Russia, and we’ve all seen how Vladimir Putin has threatened to limit energy supplies to neighboring countries in the past as a political weapon.

In voicing his support for the LNG export legislation, Senator Gardner underscored the foreign policy stakes. “Aggressive countries that control major flows of natural gas continue to endanger and threaten our allies abroad. Increasing natural gas exports here in the United States would allow us to provide some relief to allies currently tethered to unfriendly regional powers.”

Senator Bennet highlighted the benefits to Colorado when voicing his support for the bill, saying, “[W]e have a huge opportunity to grow this market and increase the use of this cleaner fuel. This bill will support Colorado jobs by helping natural gas producers in our state expand to new overseas markets.”

Senators Bennet and Gardner deserve our recognition and thanks for championing the expansion of LNG exports. This is a step in the right direction.

While federal action is important on this and other energy issues, local and state policies are critical as well. To fully support LNG exports, Colorado and other states will need to expand infrastructure—such as pipelines—to transport and process natural gas. The need to improve America’s energy infrastructure is likely to receive attention from policymakers as the year progresses. We’ll keep you informed on this issue. Stay tuned.

In recent years, we've heard a lot about the Keystone XL pipeline proposal. This important infrastructure project will cover nearly 1,200 miles and connect to existing pipelines to carry Canadian oil—and some American-made oil—as far as Texas.

Though it’s a big project, Keystone XL represents less than 1% of our nation’s 150,000 miles of oil pipelines. In addition to oil pipelines, the U.S. has 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines. This infrastructure is critical to our economy and way of life—across the nation and throughout Colorado.

In fact, Colorado has about 45,000 miles of pipelines all across the state. Every day, they safely transport natural gas, crude oil, and other types of fuel to homes and businesses. Many of us can easily heat our homes and cook our meals because of pipelines.

Pipelines are among the safest ways to transport fuel, and pipeline operations are tightly regulated by both the Office of Pipeline Safety within the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Gas Pipeline Safety Section of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

The greatest hazard related to pipelines comes not from their operation, but from improper and unauthorized digging that damages pipelines. Fortunately, markers, maps, and a dedicated call centers (just dial 811) help excavators and others locate pipelines and prevent damage.

Pipeline operators maintain safe systems by following exacting procedures and employing a range of advanced technologies. Pipelines are built to strict codes, using construction procedures established by federal regulations. Training, construction materials, and inspection all help prevent corrosion, mechanical failure, and human error.

In the coming years, Colorado will need to continue expanding its pipeline infrastructure. New homes for our growing population will require natural gas lines. In addition, a more robust pipeline infrastructure will help our energy sector continue to expand, creating jobs and benefiting local economies.

Safe pipelines will continue to be a cornerstone of American energy. Yes, our nation needs the Keystone XL pipeline. But we need to maintain and expand our pipeline infrastructure here in Colorado as well.

It is estimated that new NAAQS regulations could be the single most costly regulation ever imposed on the American people. The numbers are downright scary…

NAAQS could shrink the U.S. economy by $270 billion each year—or by $3.4 trillion from 2017-2040.
NAAQS could eliminate the equivalent of 2.9 million full-time jobs every year.
NAAQS could drain $1,570 dollars per American household in the form of lost consumption.

America’s air is clean—and getting cleaner. Harmful emissions have been substantially reduced since the 1970s. And thanks to increased access to and use of natural gas, we’ve lowered greenhouse gas emissions back to levels not seen since the 1990s.

Now the EPA is looking to impose the tightest ozone regulations in history—known as NAAQS. The economic results of such an out-of-touch move could be devastating! Learn the facts and get ready to fight back…

NAAQS stands for National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Enforced and continually tightened by the EPA since 1971, NAAQS regulates “particulate matter” (e.g., dust) and certain gases, such as ozone.

Overall, ground-level ozone has decreased 25% since 1980. NAAQS ozone regulations were tightened in 1997 and again in 2008. No scientific evidence shows that lowering ozone further will benefit human health.

Most of America will be unable to meet the EPA’s artificially high NAAQS ozone standards. Even Yellowstone National Park would fall short! In areas that can’t meet the new regulations, the heavy hand of government can come down hard with repercussions. The EPA would have the authority to freeze a lot of economic activity—stopping new energy projects in their tracks and dramatically limiting refining and manufacturing.

The only way to stop new, overreaching NAAQS ozone regulations is for the American people to raise their voices in opposition. Please plan on sharing your views when the public comment period opens.

If you’ve been watching the news you’ve seen that a vocal minority in the United States Senate is doing everything it can to keep the Keystone XL pipeline from ever coming up for a vote. Just this week they resorted to one of the oldest obstructionist tricks in the book—the filibuster.

We can’t let their anti-energy extremism derail Keystone. Please send your Senators an email today making sure they know that you support Keystone XL and want there to be a public vote soon to approve construction of the pipeline.

A bipartisan majority of Americans have been waiting for Keystone for more than six years. We can’t let a desperate filibuster get in the way.

Please take just a second to send a message. We need as many people as possible for this to work!

Thanks to all those who attended last night’s City Council hearing in Erie. With the Board of Trustees voting 4-3 against the ban on oil and natural gas development, it’s clear how important it was that Energy Citizens turned out.

Even though the outcome of last night was good, we will in all likelihood have to contend with continued attacks on energy development locally and on the state level. Environmental extremists are doing everything they can to drown out the voices of pro-energy citizens, and we must continue to take a stand for our communities whenever possible.

We'll be posting future developments regarding Erie’s—and Colorado’s—energy future. In the meantime, here are some ways we can each continue making a difference today:

• Send a Comment to the Oil and Gas Task Force – Right now, the Colorado Oil and Gas Task Force is debating policies that could hurt our state’s future. Speak out today!
• Join us on Social Media – Connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to see the latest facts, articles, and infographics you can share with your friends.
• Tell a friend – Spread the word about Colorado Energy Citizens to friends and family so they can join the fight for Colorado energy too.

Late last year, a minority of U.S. Senators blocked an effort to advance the Keystone XL Pipeline toward construction. In Colorado, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D) voted to support the pipeline, while outgoing Senator Mark Udall (D) voted against it.

Next year, the vote of Colorado’s Senators will not be split on this issue: Senator-elect Cory Gardner (R) strongly supports Keystone XL. Early in 2015—this week, in fact—Congress is likely to begin revisiting the Keystone proposal and putting more pressure on President Obama to approve the project. Keystone has been delayed now for more than six years despite several reports from the U.S. State Department affirming the safety and economic benefits of the project.

But why should Colorado care?

Even though the Keystone XL Pipeline will not pass through Colorado, oil transported from Canada and other American states will improve our nation’s overall energy supply and help our economy. With increased domestic energy production combined with Canadian oil, our country could meet all of its liquid fuel needs exclusively with North American sources by 2030. Our nation would no longer be dependent on the Middle East for energy!

The Keystone XL Pipeline will also set an important precedent. Now that the U.S. has become the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, we need to improve our infrastructure for transporting and processing these resources. We cannot have every reasonable pipeline and infrastructure proposal held up in Washington for years.

Through the course of this year, Energy Citizens will be raising our voices in support of Keystone XL. We are hopeful that Congress will pass legislation to move the project forward.

Colorado’s special Oil and Gas Task Force held its last meeting of 2014 in Rifle on December 10-11. This year, just three more days of meetings are scheduled—and then the Task Force is supposed to make its policy recommendations to the state legislature and governor.

At this point, it seems uncertain if the Task Force will be able to reach consensus on any policy recommendations. At the Rifle meeting, Task Force members couldn’t even reach agreement on what should be on the agenda for the next meeting, which takes place January 15 in Greeley.

One interesting point was emphasized at the Rifle meeting; namely, many local officials and residents believe that current state rules governing oil and natural gas development are working well. Within the regulatory framework that now exists, officials can work cooperatively with energy companies to advance energy development while addressing community concerns.

“We have things in place out here that work, and we don’t need new regulations,” said Garfield County Commissioner Mike Samson.

“With the regulations we already have in place and the way our local governments have dealt with and handled the conflicts, I feel we have done a good job of being good stewards of our land on the Western Slope,” said Rifle resident Justin Hemmer.

“Balanced development is possible and is the standard we continue to uphold in our county. There are solutions without more regulations and rule-making,” said Garfield County Commission Chairman John Martin.

We agree that more regulations and rule-making are unnecessary and could cost jobs and hurt Colorado’s energy economy.

We've been waiting for this Pipeline for six years now. It's time our elected officials do the right thing and vote yes! It's extremely important that all Energy Citizens send their Members of Congress a letter today to tell them:

• There is no reason to stand in the way of American energy security.
• There is no reason to play politics with Keystone XL.
• There is no reason to delay 42,000 American jobs.

If you’re an energy supporter, you’ve probably heard environmental activists—or even your friends or neighbors—say that oil and natural gas companies are exempt from various federal regulations. Take a quick look at the chatter on Twitter and you’ll find statements such as…

When you hear people twist the facts about energy and regulation, speak up and share accurate information. A few notable points we can bring to the discussion include:

• Energy development is subject to regulations under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Spill-prevention, discharge permitting, and storm water runoff regulations apply to oil and natural gas operations under the CWA. Furthermore, disposal of wastewater produced from oil and natural gas extraction is subject to regulations and permit requirements under both the CWA and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

• Air emissions from fracking are regulated by the EPA under the Clean Air Act. Since 1979, the EPA has imposed and repeatedly tightened rules concerning emissions throughout the energy extraction and development process. Energy companies have also made numerous investments in technologies to limit emissions from storage tanks, compressors, controllers, and other equipment. In fact, the EPA instituted new rules in 2012 to reduce and eliminate emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methane from oil and gas production sites. And the State of Colorado has added its own layer of air quality regulations to the federal requirements.
• The energy industry is subject to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Like other sectors, including manufacturing and agriculture, oil and natural gas extraction and processing is subject to NAAQS, which are enforced by the EPA and state regulators in accordance with the Clean Air Act. If the EPA further tightens ozone regulations under NAAQS in 2015, the entire business community and the energy industry will be significantly impacted.

But more importantly, oil and natural gas extraction is and has been effectively regulated at the state level for decades. For instance, in Colorado, the state has specific regulations for drilling of wells, setbacks from residential structures, water management, air quality, and many others. The rules in Colorado are established to effectively protect the citizens of Colorado and the environment, and the state has demonstrated the flexibility to continually revise its regulations to apply the best practices for energy development

So, the next time someone says that energy development is exempt from federal environmental rules or is hardly regulated, have a good laugh and then correct the misinformed speaker.

On October 24, members of Colorado’s Oil and Gas Task Force visited several well sites in Weld County. They were able to get a closer look at actual drilling and fracking operations, meet energy company employees, and ask questions.

It remains to be seen how the tour will impact the policy recommendations of the Task Force, but a few takeaways stand out:
Innovation Helps Address Community Concerns—Just as in other industries, innovation in energy development continues to bring improvements. Task Force members visited a site with an electric drilling rig, which helps cut noise. Similarly, members saw a fracture stimulation center, which enables above-ground activities to be located further from underground shale—and people.
Fracking Fluid is Mostly Water—Task Force members saw a fracking chemical known as a “crosslinker,” a viscous liquid that helps suspend sand so that it can fracture underground shale. But only a very small amount, a fraction of one percent, of crosslinker makes it into fracking fluid, which is mostly water and sand.
Energy Companies are Eager to Educate—For Anadarko Petroleum, which hosted Task Force members at several locations, the site visits were no different from the many tours the company hosts for interested parties. “We’re getting the facts out, correcting misinformation and sharing efforts and the technology and innovation… to mitigate complaints,” said Anadarko representative Robin Olsen.

This one-day tour of energy sites is just one part of the Task Force’s work. The Task Force is scheduled to hold several more meetings from November to February. The meetings are open to the public and Energy Citizens are encouraged to attend and share their views when opportunities arise. (Here is the meeting schedule.)

We’ll keep Energy Citizens informed about the Task Force’s activities and discuss their policy recommendations, which are scheduled to be issued by February 27, 2015. Stay tuned.

In the traditional world of oil drilling, roustabouts and roughnecks are the frontline workers in the oil fields—usually doing hard, physical work. The pay is good—and for some, the life is adventuresome.

Colorado’s oil and natural gas companies employ tens of thousands of men and women—in shale-rich areas and beyond. While many of these jobs are physically demanding, the industry supports a wide range of jobs—including technical, managerial, and administrative positions.

And for most energy industry jobs, the pay is good. In 2012, the average annual oil and natural gas industry salary in Colorado was nearly $75,000—48% higher than the state average.

What sorts of jobs might you find in the industry? A recent survey of Colorado online job boards found hundreds of energy sector jobs, including openings for:

In regions around America, the energy sector is thriving. More than 1 million additional oil and natural gas industry jobs could be created by 2030—but only if public policies and regulations at the local, state, and national levels support energy production.

Energy jobs are transforming Colorado communities and enabling families to prosper. We can keep this momentum going by being active Energy Citizens who reject every attempt to over-regulate and ban Colorado energy development.

A new University of Colorado study shows that oil and natural gas development is a $1.1 billion economic engine for La Plata County, which is where the second meeting of the Governor’s Oil and Natural Gas Task Force was held. The study underscores the industry’s strong local impact, supporting 1,350 direct jobs, paying $116.7 million in wages, and generating $12.6 million in tax revenues which support public education, public safety, and other critical services.

“Policy makers, including the members of the Governor’s Task Force meeting in Durango this week, need to understand just how vital the energy industry is to La Plata County,” said Christi Zeller, Executive Director of the La Plata Energy Council. “Whether we’re talking about our schools, public safety, or thousands of good jobs, it’s clear that responsible energy production is critical to our quality of life and our economic future.”

She noted that two school districts—Bayfield and Durango—are huge beneficiaries from oil and natural gas activity, which generates 48 percent and 32 percent, respectively, of property tax proceeds in those districts.

The La Plata economic impact data is just one part of the new statewide study that also shows how in 2012 alone, oil and natural gas development generated over $200 million for Colorado schools, supported nearly 94,000 Colorado jobs, and was responsible for over $23 billion in state economic activity.

The report was conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and was commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API). It examines the Colorado oil and natural gas sector on a county-by-county basis, going so far as to detail associated revenue streams for schools, roads, parks, healthcare, and more.

The economic and energy security benefits to Colorado and the country from building the Keystone XL Pipeline emerged this fall as a key topic in races for Colorado’s U.S. Senate and House seats.

In one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate contests in the nation, U.S. Representative Cory Gardner and incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Udall spent significant time during an October debate showcasing contrasting views on the Pipeline. The debate, hosted by Politico, showed a stark difference between the two, as Udall continued to raise red flags about KXL—while acknowledging the momentum moving toward its eventual construction—and Gardner strongly touted the project’s benefits.

Gardner noted polls show voters overwhelmingly support Keystone and argued it will help create “thousands” of jobs in Colorado.

Candidates for the U.S. House from Colorado also debated Keystone at a campaign event featuring hopefuls for three separate Congressional seats. While GOP incumbent Congressman Mike Coffman and Republican challengers Don Ytterberg and George Leing all supported the Pipeline, incumbent Ed Perlmutter was the only Democrat to speak up for Keystone XL’s benefits. Democrat Congressman Jared Polis and Andrew Romanoff, who challenged Coffman, opposed KXL. Details of this debate were featured in The Denver Business Journal.

When the first meeting of the Governor’s Oil and Gas Task Force convened in Denver, Energy Citizens were on hand to demonstrate to Gov. Hickenlooper and the 21 members of the task force the critical importance that a strong and growing energy industry plays in Colorado’s economy—today and for the future.

The task force, which will hold five months of hearings to study the interaction between local communities and oil and natural gas exploration, could make recommendations to the Legislature for new laws—laws that could help spur more responsible energy exploration or, conversely, put jobs at risk across the state.

That’s the message that Energy Citizens took directly to Governor Hickenlooper as he entered the hearing room. Members told him that Colorado’s economy is tied to safe, vibrant energy exploration. The Governor told the Energy Citizens delegation that he appreciated them speaking out and that he was determined to strike the right balance for Colorado.

Energy Citizens will closely monitor the Task Force’s progress and keep you up to date on how you can speak out in support of the thousands of Colorado jobs that are tied to our state’s energy industry.

A new study from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business shows that the economic benefits of energy development reach beyond areas of oil and natural gas production.

“Even though oil and gas production is concentrated in five counties, the benefits are really widespread,” said Brian Lewandowski, one of the report’s researchers.

The report—officially, “Oil and Gas Industry Economic and Fiscal Contributions in Colorado by County, 2008–2012”—details industry employment and tax contributions by county. In addition, it examines how oil and gas taxes and lease fees help fund schools across the state.

Several counties with substantial shale resources naturally have a large number of energy sector jobs. In 2012, Weld County had more than 6,000 energy workers; Garfield County, more than 2,750; and about 1,350 in La Plata County.

But energy sector jobs reach areas where there is far less extraction activity as well. For example, in Mesa County there were more than 4,100 energy sector jobs in 2012, even though the county only accounts for less than 2% of the state’s oil and natural gas production. In Denver City and County, which has no measurable oil or natural gas production, the energy sector directly employed more than 9,800 people in 2012.

Overall, the energy sector’s supplies the greatest economic benefits throughout Colorado in the form of wages and employment. In 2012, the oil and natural gas industry supported more than 93,500 Colorado jobs and paid $3.2 billion in wages. Energy jobs pay twice as much on average as jobs in other industries.

But the energy industry’s contributions to Colorado communities go beyond employment. Notably, in 2012, the industry paid an estimated $372.8 million in property taxes. In many counties, these tax payments account for a substantial portion of government revenues. Public safety, health programs, public works, parks and recreation—all of these areas are supported by taxes paid by energy companies.

We believe that every member of Governor Hickenlooper’s special Oil and Gas Task Force should read this Leeds study. New policy proposals should not jeopardize energy production or its positive contributions to Colorado, which are clearly spelled out in this important report.

Coloradans began receiving their ballots in mid-October this year—marking our first midterm election conducted exclusively by mail. This gives us the real opportunity to take time to consider whether candidates up and down the ballot will help support Colorado’s growing energy sector. Choosing energy in this election means choosing jobs, expanded economic opportunities, and a more secure energy future—here in Colorado and across the country.

As I’ve watched candidates for state and federal offices debate throughout the fall, energy has again and again been a key topic. From the Keystone XL Pipeline to the future of oil and natural gas development to the role that energy jobs play in local economies across the state, it is crystal clear that a vibrant energy economy is linked to a vibrant Colorado.

To learn more about what’s at stake as you cast your ballot, and the key issues facing Colorado and the country, visit the Energy Citizens CHOOSE ENERGY web portal. There you’ll find all the information you need to make informed, smart choices as you complete your ballot.

For Colorado Energy Citizens, it should hardly be news that the proposed anti-fracking ballot measures (Initiatives 88 and 89) were withdrawn in early August. No longer does Colorado’s energy economy—and tens of thousands of energy workers—face an immediate threat.

But this doesn’t mean that energy is no longer in play in the November elections. We still must turn out at the polls and support Colorado energy.

How do you do that—when there are not energy measures on the ballot? The answer: by voting for pro-energy candidates at all levels of government.

In years past, energy policies were generally established in Washington, DC—by Congress and the Administration. Today, as we’ve seen in Colorado, local and state officials play an increasingly important role.

For that reason, it’s important to consider candidates’ views on energy, no matter what office they’re seeking. Your local city council member, county commissioner, and state rep can all have an impact on whether Colorado energy continues to thrive and grow—or is held back.

So, how do you find out where candidates stand on energy issues? Basically, through research and by asking. Explore your candidates’ websites and see if they share their positions on energy. If they don’t, consider calling their campaign offices or contacting them online. You may also be able to ask candidates questions at town halls, campaign house parties, and other events. Questions you might ask include:

Do you support fracking? Would you have opposed the Colorado anti-fracking initiatives if they had appeared on the ballot?

How will you support expanding America’s energy infrastructure? Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline?

Do you support exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to aid our allies and help stabilize global energy markets?

Do you support expanded access for energy development on state and federal public lands?

And don’t forget: make sure you’re registered to vote. Get out and vote, and let’s hope we’re celebrating when the election returns come in!

America’s energy revolution has substantially increased supplies of natural gas, making it an appealing energy alternative for a wide range of industries. One promising example is rail.

At the Pueblo, Colorado, Transportation Technology Center, leading freight railroad BNSF recently tested new train engines primarily powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Later this year, the company will conduct a pilot program using the new engines, which combine diesel with as much as 90 percent LNG.

BNSF’s initial activities could be a harbinger to far-reaching changes in the rail industry. LNG could cut rail’s fuel costs by as much as one-third. In addition, LNG has lower emissions than diesel, and its use will help the rail industry further limit its environmental impact.

Using LNG, however, will require new infrastructure and equipment. In addition to retrofitting locomotives, energy and rail companies will need to develop a more robust network of liquefaction facilities and fueling facilities. The trucking industry is already beginning to use LNG and compressed natural gas (CNG), and rail may be able to share some energy infrastructure with the trucking industry.

In the future, we’re likely to see a range of positive impacts from the development of domestic natural gas resources. The conversion of rail to natural gas will help hold down freight costs, which will translate into savings for consumers.

But for America to realize the full potential of the natural gas boom, we’ll need to have the support of local, state, and federal policymakers. Notably, the energy sector must be allowed to move forward with improving our nation’s natural gas infrastructure. The permitting process is too often too slow and too costly. Once again, government should be encouraged to support—not hinder—energy projects.

This election year, it’s vital that you make the choice to vote for energy.

Our nation is in the middle of an energy renaissance. To keep it going, we need elected officials who support policies that will allow our nation to develop the energy resources that will create jobs, strengthen our security, and move us towards energy independence.

What can you do to vote for energy in November?

Sign the pledge to vote for energy. If you haven’t pledged to vote with energy in mind this November, do so today.

Register to vote. You can’t vote unless you register.

Get educated about the candidates. Talk to the candidates, research their positions, and check out our website to see where they stand on energy issues.

Research voting dates and deadlines. Election Day is November 4, but many states have early voting. You can also request an absentee ballot. Research your state’s deadlines to register and vote to make sure you aren’t left out.

Talk to your friends. Telling your friends about the importance of voting for energy is a key way we’ll elect good policymakers.

The annual Severance Days Festival in this scenic Weld County town is an annual “must-do” for northern Colorado and this year, Energy Citizens were out in force greeting local residents and touting the vital role energy development plays throughout the state.

The Energy Citizens team met with Mayor Don Brookshire, Mayor Pro Tem Zeke Kane, Town Administrator John Holdren (left), members of the Board of Trustees and literally hundreds of area residents. We heard repeatedly how much the energy industry is valued in Severance – and how it helps support local services, including public schools.

It’s these grassroots voices from towns like Severance throughout Colorado that give Energy Citizens our power to push for positive, commonsense policies in our state and around the nation.

Ballot measures that would have banned oil and gas drilling in Colorado may be off this year’s ballot – but the need for strong, sustained, and vibrant grassroots action for domestic energy and jobs is more important than ever.

In August, Gov. John Hickenlooper – who has been a supporter of energy exploration – created an 18-member task force to study oil and gas development. This compromise, which will culminate in the commission making recommendations to the Legislature, resulted in several energy ballot measures, including the job-killing fracking bans being pulled from the ballot.

Far from sparking a reasonable response from extreme environmentalists, this compromise fanned the flames. These anti-energy forces not only vowed to loudly lobby the commission to stifle responsible development, they already were pushing for future ballot measures in the years ahead. In August, the extreme environmentalists who were pushing the oil and gas drilling ban have vowed to be vocal in pushing their anti-jobs agenda – and said they are pushing to go to the ballot again in the future. If anything, it fanned the flames.

This makes Energy Citizens – and you as an Energy Citizens member – more important than ever. The voices of common-sense Coloradans who support responsible energy development and who want to protect this vital sector of our economy are critical in the remainder of 2014.

In addition to our ongoing grassroots work throughout the state, Energy Citizens will be plugging you directly into the statewide conversation by:

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Giving you up-to-date alerts on the commission’s activities, including public hearings where you may be able to speak out about the importance of Colorado energy development. ?

Providing you an opportunity to email commission members directly; so they will hear our pro-energy message directly from you. ?

Sharing a real-time update on the commission’s recommendations and how you can urge your state legislators to stand up for energy in the 2015 legislative session.

Watch your email for these updates and make sure you speak out loudly and often in support of strong and responsible Colorado energy development.

Fracking is a proven technology. It’s been used safely in more than one million wells and has been continuously improved over time. The oil and natural gas industry constantly applies the best practices for society and the environment with each new well.

Fracking is already heavily regulated by the federal government

Fracking is closely supervised by federal, state, and local regulators to ensure it does not pose a threat to our environment. In fact, Colorado has some of the most stringent regulations when it comes to fracking and safety in the country. In addition to strict state regulations, fracking must comply with many federal laws, including:

The Clean Water Act

The Safe Drinking Water Act

The Clean Air Act

The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act

The Occupational Health and Safety Act

Fracking doesn't harm drinking water

According to the EPA, there has never been a single incident of water contamination due to the fracturing process. That’s because oil and natural gas wells use multiple layers of steel and cement barriers to isolate energy production from groundwater resources.

Compared to other uses, hydraulic fracturing is conservative in its water usage. The average oil or gas well that is hydraulically fractured uses 4 million gallons of water over the course of a few days. This may sound like a lot, but consider that Denver’s Cherokee coal-fired power plant uses 5 million gallons of water every day. At peak load times, it uses this amount of water every 12 hours.

Oil and gas companies are also looking for new ways to minimize the use of new water. For instance, many companies are recycling hydraulic fracturing fl uid, which reduces the amount of new water required.

Concerns over seismic activity

Since fracking means drilling deep beneath the ear th’s surface, it’s logical to have questions about seismic activity. The good news is that fracking doesn’t cause any activity that can be felt by humans. An incredibly small amount of seismic activity does accompany the hydraulic fracturing process. However, the level of seismicity is so low it hasn’t caused any cases of injury or property damage in over one million instances.

In a study that monitored thousands of operations, the largest activity recorded had a magnitude of .8. This is roughly 2,000 times less energy than a 3.0 earthquake, which is the magnitude of earthquake that can be felt on the surface.

Coloradan Michelle Smith recently wrote an op-ed featured in the Daily Cameraon the need for accuracy in the debate on fracking in Colorado. Like Michelle, we urge all Energy Citizens to spread the truth and create awareness on the issue.

Here's some of what she wrote:

The Daily Camera recently ran a guest opinion by Local Control Colorado lawyer Kate Toan, who attempted to downplay the potential financial impact that takings claims could have in Colorado by smearing royalty interest owners and mineral owners as well as property rights. She called the suggestion that property owners stand up for their rights a "scare tactic."

The defense of American property rights is nowhere near a scare tactic. It's basic constitutional law. To suggest otherwise is nothing short of bullying, not to mention the fact that her assertions are wrong.

She said that "the experts all agree that these local regulations are unlikely to constitute a regulatory takings." This is inaccurate, and there's case law to back this up.

Chris Faulkner didn’t set out to be an energy expert. He entered the oil and natural gas industry when he developed 3D seismic imaging software that helps explore geological formations. Since that time, he has founded and led a company—Breitling Energy—dedicated to advancing oil and natural gas exploration and production. He has come to be known as the “Frack Master” and has written a book about America’s energy revolution titled, The Fracking Truth.

Recently, Faulkner has been vocal in his defense of fracking and critical of government action aimed at banning fracking. Notably, he calls New York’s local fracking prohibitions “a blow to the economy and the environment.” In Colorado, we should heed this warning as well.

In blunt terms, Faulkner writes that “opposition to fracking is driven by junk science and green activist hysteria.” And he backs up this assertion with compelling examples.

Fracking Does Not Contaminate Groundwater

Faulkner quotes the conclusions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when it comes to the myth that fracking causes groundwater contamination: “1.2 million wells have been hydraulically fractured without a single confirmed case of groundwater contamination.” In testimony before Congress, then-EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said that she was unaware of “any proven case where the fracking process itself has affected water.”

Fracking Does Not Use Excess Water

Faulkner also takes on the myth that fracking uses too much water. He notes that ethanol energy—the damaging fuel mandated under the misguided U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)—requires 15,000 gallons of water to produce 1 million BTUs of energy. In stark contrast, fracking requires just three gallons of water to develop shale resources capable of producing the same amount of energy.

Myths Lead to Harmful Energy Policies

In addition, Faulkner debunks a host of other claims. Unfortunately, the bottom line is that myths have driven bad energy policies. Bans and restrictions on fracking cost jobs and economic growth. Faulkner urges state lawmakers across the country to “reject the anti-fracking crowd and trash any plans to restrict or ban this technique. Energy regulations should be based on scientific fact, not baseless ideology.”

In Colorado—at least come November—the future of fracking resides not with lawmakers, but with voters. As a unified force, Energy Citizens can help advance energy policies based on scientific fact by rejecting anti-fracking Initiatives 88 and 89. We can also make a positive impact by supporting candidates who will champion domestic energy in the halls of government.

Common sense on energy issues has won out in Colorado. Anti-energy activists withdrew their statewide initiatives to shut down much of the state’s oil and gas production.

Instead of these short-sighted bans destroying Colorado energy jobs, the state will put together a special commission to examine concerns about oil and gas development. Colorado now has a chance to have a balanced, inclusive conversation about energy development rather than a divisive campaign over anti-energy initiatives.

While the fight for Colorado’s energy future is far from over, this decision was a step in the right direction for Colorado families and businesses. We want to thank our Colorado Energy Citizens for standing up for the future of our state. We will be touch with the latest updates and look forward to working with you in the future.

Educator and U.S. Air Force veteran Peter Blair has dedicated his free time this summer to joining other Energy Citizens walking door to door to discuss the importance of energy independence.

Peter, who teaches elementary grades in Jefferson County and is a member of the local teachers’ union, says that he sees the importance of a strong Colorado energy industry when he looks at his students and considers their future.

“These young kids have their whole lives ahead of them, and I think they deserve to live in an America that’s energy independent,” Peter says. “I am happy to share what I’ve learned from Energy Citizens with my neighbors and friends. It’s a message that every citizen needs to hear, and share with their children.”

Peter, who used his G.I. Bill to graduate from the University of Colorado, will be starting law school at CU in the fall.

A traveling troupe of misfits and malcontents have launched a nationwide campaign to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. What they lack in facts and reason they make up for with theatrics, hyperbole and millions of dollars in funding.

Nowhere is this activist circus more colorful, or radical, than Colorado. A tangled web of environmental organizations, mostly based in New York among other places, are pouring millions of dollars into ballot initiatives designed to scare voters into barring themselves from capitalizing on their own energy resources.

Under the guise of “local control,” these activists claim to be looking out for Colorado’s interests. But many of the groups don’t just want to give Coloradans the right to decide whether to allow fracking—they want to ban fracking outright.

Indeed, “local control” is merely a ploy to ban a method of energy production that has been used safely for over six decades. A major group behind these “local control” measures is deceptively named Local Control Colorado (LCC). While its spokespeople continue to deny their ballot measures are about banning fracking, it’s difficult to maintain such a ruse when LCC representatives, while on a campaign conference call organized by a group named Americans Against Fracking, chant “Ban Fracking Now!”

Ironically, the folks that are pushing this “local control” argument aren’t really local. Local Control Colorado was founded by Frack Free Colorado, which was in turn founded by two New York-based groups led by celebrity activists—Yoko Ono’s Artists Against Fracking and actor Mark Ruffalo’s Water Defense. Neither have any particular ties to Colorado.

But what’s even more troubling than their disingenuous portrayal of Colorado’s anti-fracking campaign as “local,” is the activists’ distortion of the facts in the fracking debate.

As much noise as activists make about the dangers of fracking, the reality is much different. Fracking has been used safely for decades on more than one million wells. As U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell puts it, “Fracking has been done safely for many, many years.”

Bereft of facts, anti-fracking activists are resigned to stoking fear and spreading misinformation. In New York, which prohibits high-volume fracking, Ono and her group have sought to keep the ban in place by offering baseless claims like “fracking kills” and “pretty soon there will be no more water to drink.”

While the threat of fracking is largely imagined, the dangers of banning fracking are real. In Colorado, for instance, a statewide ban on fracking could cost 68,000 jobs and $8 billion in lost economic activity, according to a study conducted on behalf of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.

Nationally, fracking is fueling an unprecedented energy boom that has catapulted the U.S. to the top oil and gas producer in the world, eclipsing Russia and Saudi Arabia. The energy we produce here at home now satisfies 84 percent of our energy demand, up from a historic low of 69 percent in 2005. Environmental activists would have us eternally dependent on Middle East despots and monarchs.

Instead of peddling falsehoods, anti-fracking activists would be better served by presenting the facts in a way that informs rather than inflames. But don’t count on that happening any time soon. A circus fills more seats than a lecture.

Anastasia Swearingen is a senior research analyst at the Environmental Policy Alliance for the nonprofit Center for Organization Research and Education. This column originally appeared in the Gazette of Colorado Springs.

Energy Citizens across Colorado walked neighborhoods and attended community events across the state this summer to alert their fellow residents to the real threats posed by the anti-energy initiatives activists were attempting to qualify for the November ballot.

The initiatives, which were funded in part by multi-millionaire Congressman Jared Polis (D-Boulder), were described innocuously as “local control” amendments to the state Constitution. But the fact is these initiatives had the potential to choke off Colorado’s local energy economy – and kill thousands of jobs in the process.

To give you an idea of what was at stake if Congressman Polis and the out-of-state activists he worked with had succeed in using “local control” initiatives to block hydraulic fracturing in parts of Colorado, look no further than a recent study by the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. This study showed that a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing would cost our state 68,000 jobs and $8 billion in economic activity just in the first five years. Local bans throughout the state could similarly cripple our energy economy.

Advocates of an anti-energy agenda for Colorado are clearly far outside the mainstream. A wide range of very prominent Democrats – including Governor Hickenlooper, both U.S. Senators, former Obama Administration Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb –all announced their opposition. A whole host of business groups from every corner of the state agree– including the Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce which actively spoke out against the “local control” fracking bans.

Energy Citizens will continue to press hard in Colorado communities to make sure voters know the facts about fracking and its decades-long safety record in our state as well as the very real economic devastation that so-called “local control” measures could cause.

Check out this article published recently in the Statesman, detailing a letter from Vital for Colorado to Congressman Polis:

Vital for Colorado and dozens of prominent business, political and economic development organizations are making a direct appeal to U.S. Rep. Jared Polis to withdraw Initiatives 88 and 89, which would ban fracking and limit energy development in the state.

In a letter to Polis this week, Vital for Colorado — the bipartisan group of approximately 2,400 businesses, trade associations, chambers of commerce, sportsmen organizations, agricultural organizations, local governments, non-profits, and citizens — asked the Democratic lawmaker from Boulder to withdraw his support for the proposed ballot initiatives. They contend that these measures would add language to the state constitution “which will overly restrict the practice of hydraulic fracturing, limit energy development in Colorado and, as a result, create devastating consequences for our state.”...read more here.

Kersey, population 1,500, is getting a hotel. About 15 miles away, Eaton, population 5000, is getting a new hotel, too.

“We haven’t had a hotel at all in decades,” said Eaton Town Manager Gary Carsten.

For Kersey, the hotel is just one new addition. Other businesses are opening or expanding, and developers have submitted a proposal for a new 10,000-foot mixed-use office and retail building.

What drives all of this growth? Nearby energy development.

Oil and natural gas companies want to provide lodging to visiting contractors and employees with convenient access to drilling sites. And so the hotels are going up—providing jobs for construction and later for operations.

Other businesses are prospering as well, including restaurants and an Eaton industrial clothing supplier. On top of supporting new local economic activity, oil and gas companies are paying severance and property taxes, public lease fees, and public royalties. In 2012, in total across the state, the energy industry contributed about $1.6 billion in public revenues. These funds are finding their way into communities—providing support for parks, road improvements, and other services.

Anti-energy activists—many located far from energy development—are often entirely disconnected from the communities that are directly benefiting from energy development. A small new hotel might not matter to you if you live in Boulder or Ft. Collins, but in places like Eaton or Kersey, it can anchor optimism and opportunity in your community.

When we consider and talk with others about anti-energy ballot measures, let’s remember Colorado towns that are seeing better days because of energy development. We wouldn’t want to turn back the clock for communities that have finally turned the corner on difficult times.

It’s always been clear to Colorado Energy Citizens that proposals to ban fracking have zero justification. Fracking is a safe, decades-old practice that has only been improved in recent years. It enables access to clean natural gas. In Colorado, fracking supports thousands of jobs, provides millions in tax revenues to communities, and helps control energy costs.

We know that reason is on our side, but we were waiting for well-respected, well-known civic leaders to step forward and say “NO” to proposals to ban fracking. Well now, finally, it has happened!

On April 30, news broke that Coloradans for Responsible Reform (CFRR) would reactivate to oppose ballot initiatives aimed at banning fracking.

This broad, bipartisan Colorado coalition includes leading chambers of commerce, agricultural organizations, labor unions, community groups and a wide range of business and political leaders. Its individual members include former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, former Colorado Senate President and current Greeley Mayor Tom Norton, among others.

Kelly Brough, CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of CFRR, stated plainly what is at stake: “These anti-business measures would cripple Colorado’s energy sector, wrecking our economy and killing jobs. Colorado businesses, labor organizations, non-profits, and civic groups recognize what will happen to Colorado if energy development is banned and are committed to defeating any ballot measures that are de facto bans.”

The engagement of Coloradans for Responsible Reform couldn’t’ve come soon enough. When you’re talking with friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about the anti-fracking ballot initiatives and the need to support Colorado energy, tell them about the position and make-up of Coloradans for Responsible Reform. It’s great to have CFRR on our team.

In a compelling commentary in the Loveland Reporter-Herald, U.S. Army veteran and physician assistant Victor Palomares offers a heartfelt defense of fracking and Colorado energy development. He approaches the issue with the sensitivity of a medical professional and the patriotism of a soldier.

First, he notes that he has treated Colorado families for more than a quarter-century and has provided care to dozens of oil and natural gas workers and their families. What has he seen—or not seen?

“I don't ever recall treating an oil and gas employee for a health problem created by fracking or for a condition that developed because of a job in the oil and gas industry. That's notable because I've seen my fair share of oil and gas workers during the last two and a half decades. In fact, I've witnessed firsthand a group of men and women who are as healthy as the general Loveland population. Would this be the case if fracking, which is essential for oil and gas development, was harmful to our health?”

On the other hand, Palomares has seen firsthand the terrible human cost that results in part from energy dependence on hostile parts of the world.

“During my deployment, I served as a medic and I saw firsthand the steep price we pay in human lives and sacrifice in unfriendly foreign countries that we've relied on for oil. Are we prepared to continue sacrificing the lives of our soldiers — and being beholden to unstable foreign governments — because we can't figure out how to co-exist with drilling in our communities? That simply makes no sense.”

Finally, Palomares notes that Colorado’s energy sector has been a good provider of jobs for veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

You can find the whole of Victor Palomares column at this link: “A Unique Perspective on Oil and Gas.” Though the piece focuses on the local ballot measure in Loveland, Palomares’s points apply to the statewide anti-fracking ballot measures as well. Please read and share this column widely.

Great news! This week, Loveland voters took a stand against the anti-energy activists pushing for a ban on fracking in their town. They know that safe and responsible energy development supports our communities, creates jobs and grows our economy.

In November, voters across the state will likely cast their ballot on measures that would widely restrict or ban hydraulic fracturing. But voters in Loveland don’t have to wait until the fall. They have a special local election on June 24 to determine if the city will completely ban fracking for two years.

Because the Loveland special election could become a test case for statewide anti-fracking ballot measures, it has attracted wide attention. In fact, Loveland is such an important battleground in the energy debate that two former Colorado Governors, Democrat Roy Romer and Republican Bill Owens, recently weighed in on the issue with a commentary—“The Sensible Middle of the Fracking Debate”—in the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

The two former Governors stress that Coloradans should “work together to make good decisions based on the facts.” They carefully explain how the fracking process works and note its long history:

“Fracking was pioneered in the 1940s and has been closely studied, tightly regulated and constantly improved by experts inside and outside the industry. It's been safely used more than a million times across the nation.”

According to Governors Romer and Owens, Loveland’s proposed moratorium—and by extension, the statewide anti-fracking ballot measures—represent “a false choice”: “[W]e feel obligated to publicly reject this false choice being presented to Colorado's voters—that we have to choose either energy production or a pristine environment. The truth is we can have both.”

For Loveland—as well as the state as a whole—energy production translates into jobs and economic growth. Loveland already benefits from energy development in the area surrounding the city. According to Loveland economic development director Betsey Hale, 52 companies in Loveland employing hundreds of people are tied to energy development. In addition, for energy-related jobs, the average salary is $75,232, compared to the town’s overall average salary of $41,485.

These economic benefits—combined with the safety history of fracking—should sensibly make anti-fracking proposals losers at the ballot box. Unfortunately, as Romer and Owens write, common sense is often missing from the discussion: “There’s too much fear, division and political ideology in Colorado’s fracking debate.” As Energy Citizens, let’s work together to dispel fear and division and instead share the facts about fracking with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.

According to the report, the city of Greeley actually subsidizes the cost of water for residents and farmers by charging oil and natural gas companies as much as 100 times more for water. “For example,” the article states, “in 2013 farmers paid Greeley $35 for an acre foot of water, the [energy] industry paid the city $3,500 for the same amount.”

While anti-energy activists claim farmers are deprived of water by fracking, Greeley water department spokesperson Donna Brosemer says this isn’t the case. “The city only sells excess water to oil and gas operators when municipal and agricultural needs have been met.”

In some cases, farmers are benefiting by selling water to energy companies rather than using it for irrigation. This practice, however, is limited. “Though the Colorado Division of Water Resources doesn’t have hard data showing how many farmers are selling their water, it says the number is small, likely around one to two percent.”

Overall, as the article’s accompanying radio segment makes clear, agricultural and residential water use far outweighs water used for energy development. Wellington farmer Richard Seaworth says population growth over decades—not oil and gas development—have put pressure on water supplies for farmers. “‘We’ve had millions of people move into the Front Range here and they’re consuming the water that we used to consume.’”

Overall, according to the Colorado Division of Water Resources, fracking uses less than 0.1% of the state’s water. Agriculture on the other hand uses 85.5%. Once and for all, let’s put the myth to rest that fracking depletes water supplies and drives up water costs.

Thanks to all who voted in our bumper sticker contest! If you voted, be on the lookout for your new sticker in the mail to proudly display on your car, in a window or at your desk! And if you didn't vote, send Colorado Coordinator, Katy, an email at katy@energycitizens.org, and she'll be happy to send you one!

We really appreciate Colorado Energy Citizens for weighing in—and even though this was just a fun contest, it’s part of our larger efforts to promote commonsense energy policies in Colorado.

What many in our state don’t know is that Colorado has some of the most stringent regulations and oversight on energy development in the country. While anti-energy activists are hard at work spreading myths and misinformation, it is active Energy Citizens that are making a difference and showing that a vast majority of Coloradans support energy development.

There is a barrage of misinformation about Colorado oil and natural gas regulations—and we need your help to set the record straight.

Colorado has a proven track record of efficiently exploring and producing oil and gas resources in a way that's consistent with the protection of public health, safety and welfare. Simply put, Colorado has some of the most comprehensive and transparent energy development regulations and oversight in the country.

Colorado’s recordkeeping and reporting requirements help ensure accurate information collection, transparency, and regulatory compliance. Every permit, notice and report, are all available on the website of the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission for anyone who wishes to see what is currently being reviewed by the State.

These comprehensive regulations allow Colorado to have the best of both worlds – the benefits of an energy economy and a beautiful, safe environment for families. We cannot allow a patch-work of ill-devised, local restrictions to hamper energy development, cost jobs, and hurt the families and communities that depend on energy development.

Will you help us share the facts on Colorado’s robust regulations? Let family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors know by sharing it on social media.

Thank you for your help—and for being part of Colorado Energy Citizens.

Energy Citizens across Colorado are making inroads in sharing the cause of energy independence. And few others have done more in that effort than Jamie Wollman of Arapahoe County. A mother of three, a lawyer and local activist, she has stressed to suburban professional women the importance of standing up for safe energy exploration.

These are just a few of the ways that Jamie has been taking a stand for Colorado energy:

Recruiting friends, co-workers and colleagues to Energy Citizens Educating expectant mothers on energy issues that will make a difference to future generations

Organizing gatherings to recruit and educate others on important energy issues in Colorado

Appearing in a bipartisan video to support the efforts of Energy Citizens

"It’s critically important that suburban women – and particularly moms – know what’s at stake in the debate over oil and gas drilling in Colorado,” she said. “Domestic energy production is critical to the United States maintaining global leadership in the face of increasing international conflict. We cannot be a strong country without a strong economy – and domestic energy is one of the foundations of our economy.”

Facing an uphill battle to place a fracking ban on the November ballot, anti-energy activists in Colorado are misleading residents by gathering signatures for what they call a “local control” initiative. But thanks to a Denver-based investigative reporter, it’s become clear that these groups do not aim to empower localities like they claim, but rather to shut down natural gas production statewide.

Complete Colorado listened in and recorded a call featuring the top anti-energy activists in the country. Here’s what Kaye Fissinger, a leader in the statewide “local control” organization, revealed:

“Those of us who are working to ban fracking will be excited to hear that under the name of Local Control Colorado, a coalition of grassroots groups, has moved forward to create a statewide ballot measure.”

When weighing this measure, Coloradans must consider the economic consequences that would spawn from a ban on natural gas production, in particular, the hit local jobs and tax revenues would take. A recent study by the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business showed that a hydraulic fracturing ban would cost the state 68,000 jobs and $8 billion in economic activity in just the first five years.

That’s why Colorado Energy Citizens are spreading the word that natural gas production, which has helped lower carbon emissions nationwide, is not only safe for our environment, but is good for our communities too. If you haven’t already signed our petition to support safe, responsible energy development in Colorado, please take a moment to do so today.

By George Gramer, President, Log Cabin Republicans of Colorado

A motley crew of rich activists, radical environmentalists and wealthy celebrities are pouring big money into banning hydraulic fracturing in Colorado. Pushing a series of anti-fracking ballot measures under the guise of "local control," these well-heeled activists have made Colorado "ground zero" in the fight against affordable energy.

It was all almost for naught. Colorado lawmakers came close to striking a deal recently on legislation that could have precluded the ballot measures, but they ultimately ran out of time.

Though he probably won't admit it publicly, this comes as good news for multimillionaire Rep. Jared Polis, the de facto leader and benefactor behind Colorado's anti-fracking agitators. A legislative agreement would have taken the issue out of his hands and the wind out of his sails. Instead, Polis can continue funding his crusade against responsible energy development.

Polis became interested in hydraulic fracturing a few years ago after a company started drilling three oil wells near his vacation home in Weld County. A now-infamous YouTube video shows Polis sulking around his property before lamenting, "This part of our Colorado dream is over."

Polis' dream could become Colorado's nightmare. Hydraulic fracturing has created thousands of jobs and unlocked vast amounts of oil and natural gas in Colorado and across the country. A recent study found that Colorado could lose 68,000 jobs and $8 billion in GDP in the first five years alone if fracking is banned statewide.

As Colorado families face the prospect of fewer jobs and higher energy bills, Polis reaps the financial benefits of hydraulic fracturing. It was recently revealed that Polis socked away at least a million dollars in oil and gas investments. Meanwhile, wealthy activists led by Polis continue their fight to block affordable energy for everyone else. These activists see in Colorado a chance to disguise their general disdain for fracking as an issue of "local control."

For instance, anti-fracking groups founded by celebrities Yoko Ono and Mark Ruffalo helped create Frack Free Colorado, which in turn created Local Control Colorado to advance anti-fracking ballot measures. Neither Ono nor Ruffalo actually live in Colorado – they just think fracking is distasteful.

Ono and Ruffalo are also connected to Food & Water Watch, a national environmental group that pushed anti-fracking measures in the 2013 elections. FWW took credit for "stopping this dangerous industrial process" after residents in Boulder, Broomfield, Fort Collins, and Lafayette voted to ban fracking last November.

At the center of Colorado's anti-fracking fervor lies Polis. The wealthy congressman is funneling money to Coloradans for Local Control, which is behind some of the ballot proposals. Another group, Local Control Colorado, is pushing an amendment to enshrine anti-fracking language in Colorado's constitution.

Polis either doesn't understand or doesn't care how his anti-energy crusade affects most people. Colorado is an energy powerhouse, ranking top 10 in both oil and natural gas production. Between 2007 and 2012, Colorado's oil and natural gas production soared 89 percent and 38 percent, respectively. For that, Coloradans have hydraulic fracturing to thank.

Not like it matters to Polis. With an estimated net worth of $68 million, Polis can afford to pay higher electric bills. Polis seems more concerned with the value of his vacation home than the economic value of energy development to his constituents.

The tortured language Polis and his environmental allies use to justify their anti-fracking measures smacks of Orwellian doublespeak. Polis puts it this way: "As Coloradans, we want every community to be able to determine what's right for its residents."

It's a quaint notion - "local control"- but the reality is much different. The ballot measures Polis is pushing would actually strip landowners of their personal property, handing those rights over to towns and cities - in other words, to politicians like Polis. In so doing, Polis would undermine America's historic and unique tradition of privately owned mineral rights. That, not hydraulic fracturing, would put an end to part of the "Colorado dream."

NOTE: The column appeared originally in The Gazette of Colorado Springs, May 25, 2014. Copyright The Gazette 2014. Reprinted with Permission

Colorado Energy Citizens is a non-partisan organization. Sensible energy policies should be developed based on energy needs, jobs, and environmental impacts. These factors need to be weighed objectively—with real scientific evidence not sham science. This should not be a matter of politics.

With an understanding of the benefits and risks of fracking and natural gas development, mainstream Democratic leaders as well as Republicans support fracking and natural gas development. President Obama supports fracking. Colorado Senator Mark Udall supports fracking. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell supports fracking. The list goes on.

In spite of significant local and national support for domestic energy development and energy security, the Colorado Democratic State Assembly recently passed a resolution by a two-thirds voice vote calling on President Obama to “prohibit development of the Keystone XL pipeline.” (See coverage in the Colorado Observer.)

This resolution should be of concern to all Colorado Energy Citizens—not because of its impact on the Keystone XL pipeline project, but because what it says about the political leadership of our state. The Keystone XL pipeline will not touch Colorado at all, though the oil transported from Canada will improve the entire nation’s energy supply. The pipeline represents the safest, most environmentally friendly way to transport oil from Canada—and it has received the seal of approval for economic benefits and environmental safety from the U.S. Department of State.

The Colorado Democratic State Assembly did not simply vote to oppose a sensible, job-creating pipeline project. The Assembly also opposed the will of state voters, a majority of whom support the Keystone project, according to Democratic polling agency Hickman Analytics.

It’s time for Colorado voters—Democrats and Republicans alike—to push back and support oil and natural gas development when we cast our votes in November.

One of the biggest street festivals in Colorado is Denver’s Cinco de Mayo celebration – and it’s one of the best places to meet tens of thousands of Coloradans whose future will be shaped by the state’s stance on oil and gas drilling.

Festival visitors dropped by the Energy Citizens booth and had the chance to meet current Energy Citizens members and learn about how and why we are working to promote commonsense energy policies.

“Nothing beats talking to people one-on-one about the facts surrounding energy exploration in Colorado – and what’s at stake if the radical activists succeed in banning fracking this year,” said Energy Citizens Champion Armando Bravo. “The ban would hit the Hispanic and Latino communities hard and it’s important that people understand this before they vote.”

On March 26, the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business releaseda troubling reportthat forecasts how a ban on fracking would economically impact the state of Colorado. The numbers are grim. If a statewide fracking ban were to go into effect, Colorado, over a 25-year period, could expect:

A loss of 93,000 jobs

$12 billion in lost gross domestic product (GDP)

A nearly $1 billion reduction in local and state tax revenues.

Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway called the projected impact of a statewide ban of fracking “devastating.” Doug Flanders, policy director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association summed up the study, saying,“[A] ban on fracking would send shock waves through our economy. The loss of jobs and the severe decline in economic output would be staggering. Every family in Colorado would be affected.”

While Colorado energy development is largely concentrated in just five counties, the report found that the cost to the economy and jobs would reach across the state. The widespread impact shows the far-reach of the energy industry and its development supply chain throughout Colorado. In addition to directly harming energy companies and their employees, a range of vendors, suppliers, service providers, and others would all suffer under a fracking ban.

In response to the report, the Colorado Springs Gazette editorial board had a forcefulrecommendationfor its readers:“Do not let unfounded fears and ignorance of a common energy production method throw Colorado into poverty. Don't sign petitions and don't vote in favor of proposals that would add regulation to production of oil and gas.”We couldn’t agree more.

Over the next 10 years the U.S. stands to gain 1 million new jobs and $120 billion in additional GDP from energy infrastructure investments connected to domestic oil and natural gas production. A new poll shows that average Americans understand the importance of domestic energy production and very strongly believe it is good for our country.

The Harris Poll conducted a study designed to gauge voters’ opinions on investments in energy infrastructure and access to energy resources. The results were clear – Americans like seeing the U.S. produce its own energy and large, bipartisan majorities believe it is beneficial for our economy.

The national telephone poll found that:

94 percent of registered American voters agree that increased development of the country’s energy infrastructure would help create jobs in the U.S.

91 percent say that increased production of domestic oil and natural gas resources could lead to more jobs in the U.S.

89 percent say increased development of the country’s energy infrastructure is good for American consumers.

87 percent say increased production of domestic oil and natural gas resources could help stimulate the economy.

But investments in American energy production are not a given. If we don’t adopt smart government policies that support and encourage investment in infrastructure and development, companies could just as easily shift their focus to operations in other countries.

Karen Moreau, executive director of API’s New York State Petroleum Council, said this about policy and investment:

“Forward-looking policies that allow United States to capitalize on its bright energy future are imperative for this nation to realize its job creation and economic potential. The American public gets it; America’s economic future, the availability of affordable and reliable energy, depends on the policies created today.”

A study released in March estimates that energy producers will have to invest more than $640 billion in infrastructure investments over the next 22 years to keep America’s energy revolution moving ahead. Americans obviously support domestic energy production and the investments that make it happen. It is essential that we make that support known to elected officials, to ensure that local, state, and national energy policies do not get in the way of success.

Efforts to ban oil and gas drilling in Colorado would result in a massive body blow to Colorado jobs, economic growth and critically important tax revenues for public schools and other vital services according to a new study from the respected Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado.

The numbers are stark.

If environmental extremists are successful at the ballot box this year and ban oil and gas drilling, the study predicts a 95 percent drop in new activity, starting in 2015. The result of that drop would be:

A loss of 68,000 jobs in the first five years, and 93,000 by 2040.

A drop of $8 billion in state GDP, down to $12 billion.

A hemorrhaging of $567 million in tax revenues to state and local governments over the first five years, and a loss of nearly $1 billion by 2040.

The study, which can be accessed here, also shows that the economic damage would result in lower personal income for Colorado residents, which in turn would impact such key sectors of Colorado’s economy as retail, tourism, mining, construction and real estate.

Far from being the innocuous initiative that ban-proponents are touting, the Leeds study -- backed by pages and pages of economic data -- shows economic devastation would result immediately from a drilling ban.

Colorado Energy Citizens will be working closely with small businesses, educators, retailers and others throughout Colorado to speak out about the damage that the extreme oil and gas drilling ban would have on working families and local communities throughout our state.

Instead of banning oil and gas drilling, let’s just have some “local control” over it. That can’t be a problem, right?

Wrong.

Environmental activists are trying to hoodwink Coloradans into believing that “local control” over energy is a good thing. The fact is, these “local control” activists are the very same folks who want a statewide ban on oil and natural gas drilling. Knowing Coloradans support energy development, and that it will be very hard to pass a statewide fracking ban, the anti-energy activists have decided to pursue their ban on different terms, by calling it a “local control” issue and suggesting that every municipality in the state should be able to ban oil and gas drilling on its own.

This is a distinction with no difference. It is a de facto statewide ban, and will surely have a devastating effect on jobs, the economy and local communities.

Energy Citizens Colorado will be working tirelessly this year to ensure that Coloradans understand that a vote for “local control” of energy is a vote to ban oil and gas drilling.

A few things to remember:

As Gov. Hickenlooper has pointed out, Colorado has one of the most stringent sets of regulations in the country for oil and gas drilling. These rules, which are consistent throughout Colorado, are coupled with inspections and oversight from state and federal experts.

State government has the resources and manpower set aside to review and enforce drilling compliance, which is good since it means energy projects aren’t dependent upon small city governments whose budgets are already stretched thin. It also means city officials won’t have to assume new, unfunded oversight responsibilities that the state of Colorado is uniquely equipped to handle.

These state-led oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that the energy industry is able to produce oil and gas safely and responsibly – while continuing to be a major positive economic force in the state.

So as the misleading rhetoric from anti-energy forces heats up, don’t be fooled by their “local control” lingo. They’re plan is a recipe to erase local jobs, local businesses and local tax revenue.

When President Obama announced that a final decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline would be indefinitely delayed, he received significant criticism. In this politically polarized time, it’s notable that this criticism crossed party lines. It’s clear that the Keystone XL Pipeline is popular with the American people. One thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that it’s time to build the Keystone XL.

“Whenever businesses and bureaucrats don’t have the guts to stand behind a decision they’ve made, they release the news late on a Friday. In the case of the Obama administration’s move to delay indefinitely a decision to approve or deny the Keystone XL pipeline, it speaks volumes that the announcement was made not just on any Friday, but on the convergence of Good Friday and Passover.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said the decision was “nothing short of a stunning act of political cowardice.”

Terry O’Sullivan, president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, said, “Once again, the administration in making a political calculation instead of doing what is right for the country. It’s clear the administration needs to grow a set of antlers, or perhaps take a lesson from Popeye and eat some spinach.”

Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, called the delay “irresponsible, unnecessary and unacceptable.”

This pipeline is good for America’s economy and it’s vital for our energy security. That’s why it has such strong bipartisan support in Washington. President Obama should reconsider his decision to delay approval for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Loveland economic development director Betsey Hale reported that 52 local companies are tied to energy production, and employ nearly 500 people. Notably, the average salary among those energy jobs is $75,232, compared to the town’s overall average of $41,485. In other words, Loveland residents are benefitting from the good-paying jobs the oil and natural gas industry support.

Hale also noted to the Reporter-Herald that jobs dependent on energy development are often indirect. “There’s a whole host of jobs other than the guy who’s actually fracking.”

Energy development has helped Loveland turn the corner after the economic downturn. “A lot of people who were out of work during the recession are now working because of oil and gas, and energy in general,” said Hale.

Unfortunately, anti-energy activists are working to undo these benefits by targeting Loveland with a fracking ban. You can read the complete story at here.

Now is the time for Energy Citizens across Colorado to raise their voices in opposition to initiatives—direct and underhanded—that would undermine energy development in our state. Please talk to your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about the threat anti-energy fracking bans pose to Colorado’s prosperity—and encourage them to join the Energy Citizens movement.

Energy Citizens know how vital natural gas production is to Colorado. The jobs of over 110,000 Coloradans depend on it to pay their bills, provide for their family and save for the future. That’s why it’s so important that Energy Citizens like you take a stand against extremists who are trying to shut down oil and gas development in our state.

Anti-energy activists are attacking Colorado’s oil and gas development. The lies they are spreading about fracking could destroy Colorado’s energy future. Oil and natural gas development plays a vital role in our economy, helps our communities pay for essential services and provides jobs for our neighbors. We can’t afford to see Colorado energy set back.

By taking just a moment to sign our petition, you will show your support for oil and gas development, American energy production and Colorado jobs.

It confirmed what we have known all along –that if anti-energy activists succeed, they’ll threaten the livelihoods of at least 93,000 Coloradans and our economy would suffer a $12 billion blow. The results would be devastating.

Oil and natural gas development in our state has been conducted safely and responsibly for over 60 year - yet mostly out of state activists are endangering our future. We have to make our voices heard before it’s too late.

Let friends and neighbors know about the importance of fracking and natural gas development in Colorado. Write a letter to the editor today!

What many Coloradans don’t know is that the state relies on hydraulic fracturing or fracking for 90 percent of its natural gas production and it has been safety used for decades in Colorado without a single case of groundwater contamination. Unfortunately, anti-energy activists have clouded the issue even more for Coloradans by spreading misinformation about fracking.

One way to combat the anti-fracking rhetoric is by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Here are some helpful hints for writing and submitting a letter to the editor:

Letters to the editor should:

Be to the point, your letter should be less than 250 words.

State why you are writing the letter and why the issue is important to you or your community.

Explain what you believe should be done to solve the issue.

Sign your full name, address, and telephone number.

Check out these fact-filled publications if you need some help gathering information:

As always, if you need guidance or are interesting in getting more involved in Energy Citizens’ efforts to support natural gas production in Colorado, feel free to reach out to Katy, your Energy Citizens Coordinator, by emailing her at katy@energycitizens.org.

Too often, discussions about energy bog down under the weight of abstraction, fuzzy suppositions and downright misinformation. It’s therefore heartening to read about the real-world example of Greeley in an editorial from the Colorado Springs Gazette, “Greeley Shows How Fracking Stands to Improve Our Lives.”

The Gazette calls Greeley “a notable oasis” in a country still digging out from the economic downturn of the last half-decade. In 2013, Greeley’s employment grew at a rate of 5.2 percent—nearly 75 percent faster than the state average. Housing values have recovered and soared. According to the Gazette, “The quality of roads, parks and a variety of private-sector amenities continues to improve.”

The source of this prosperity is, of course, energy development.

Greeley has thrived because Colorado property owners are allowed to use their land for energy development something the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed when it overturned an attempted fracking ban in Greeley two decades ago.

Since that time, more than 400 oil and natural gas wells have been developed within the city limits. Do they mar the city’s scenic profile? Not at all. “They are so quiet and low profile it’s hard to find one,” writes the Gazette.

The Gazette notes that in one area, six wells “coexist with a wetlands nature habitat, resident hawks, a school, houses, apartments and athletic facilities. It sounds like urban paradise, not a community fraught with industrial danger and blight.”

“The wells contribute high-paying jobs and millions in passive tax revenues that pay for nature conservation, schools and other public amenities that make the community healthier and wealthier by the day. Residents who used to toil for minimum wage pull in professional wages for minimum-skilled labor.”

This piece offers a concrete refutation to anti-energy activists who claim fracking harms communities. We encourage you to share this piece widely with friends, family and other Coloradans as we prepare to vote on energy issues in November’s election. Follow this link to read the piece in its entirety.

Meet some of Colorado’s Energy Citizens. It’s clear the importance of the oil and gas industry and the good paying jobs it provides Colorado’s economy is resonating with voters on both sides of the aisle. Energy Citizens come from different parties, different cities and different backgrounds. But one thing we all agree on is a responsible energy future for our state.

“My former boss, Governor Lamm, was the most pro-environment Governor in the history of the Rocky Mountain Region. But, banning fracking will harm not hurt the environment – it will kill jobs and turn back the environmental clock.” - Raul Rodriguez, former Cabinet Member under Governor Lamm

“I love the President – I spent hours helping elect and reelect him. I love Jared Polis and knocked on doors for him when he had a bitter primary. But he is wrong on this one. This idea of a ban on fracking is wrong-headed and will lead to far more pollution.” - Sara Almerri, a Democrat Party volunteer who is organizing an Energy Citizens House Party in Denver.

Jamie Wollman, a Member of the Arapahoe County Republican Executive Committee, cares so much about Colorado’s energy future she asked for twenty EC Membership forms and will be signing up EC Members this week and next.

The eyes of the nation are turning to Colorado as anti-energy radicals continue their effort to ban hydraulic fracturing in the Centennial State. In recent weeks, Colorado Energy Citizens has been monitoring a flood of national news coverage on this conversation, including an extremely important piece in Forbes magazine discussing fracking’s decades-long safety record in our state.

Potential bans on oil and natural gas drilling in Colorado are also on our radar. The threats such bans would have on Colorado’s economy was one of the topics of the recent Vail Energy Forum which brought together national and international players in the energy industry. Representatives from Colorado Energy Citizens attended the forum which also featured a presentation from Gov. John Hickenlooper on the value that oil and gas exploration has in Colorado. A recent article from the Denver Business Journal gives an insider’s view of this extremely important gathering.

While some elected officials and activists continue to play fast and loose with the facts about fracking, State Senators Lois Tochtrop (D-Thornton) and Mary Hodge (D-Brighton) have written a persuasive guest commentary in the Denver Post that underscores the benefits provided by oil and natural gas development.

The two Democratic State Senators highlight the fact that, “[M]ore than 100,000 hard-working Coloradans rely on the oil and gas sector to put food on the table, put kids through school, and save for retirement.” We would also add that energy sector employees—and the companies themselves—provide more than $1.5 billion in annual tax revenues to the state.

In their commentary, Senators Tochtrop and Hodge support energy development not just because it provides jobs and tax revenues. They also point to the safety record of the energy sector—and the significant regulation of the industry. “Colorado has passed—and continues to develop—the toughest, most comprehensive, and environmentally protective energy regulations in the country.”

The benefits brought by energy development could be undermined if state regulation is replaced by “a crazy quilt of regulations that vary widely from one community to the next.” Instead, they endorse “a consistent, comprehensive, statewide approach to energy regulation as the best means to secure public safety, protection of our environment, and a predictable business climate.”

On this issue, Senators Tochtrop and Hodge represent the best spirit of Coloradan. Political affiliations should not play a role in this issue: we simply need energy policies built on evidence and common sense, not misinformation and paranoia.

When the Los Angeles Times published an article suggesting hydraulic fracturing is making Colorado’s drought problem worse, Energy Citizens quickly took to social media to fight back. The truth is that fracking only accounts for 0.1 percent of Colorado’s water consumption, so Energy Citizens took to social media to fight back.

The Energy Citizens Digital Strikeforce helped recruit over 100 friends to participate in an online Thunderclap to bust the fracking water myth. With their help, over 200,000 Facebook and Twitter users saw this graphic with our message that fracking does not even come close to stressing water supplies in Colorado.

And for any Energy Citizens not yet a part of the Digital Strike force, please consider joining! You don’t have to be a social media expert – all it takes is a Facebook or Twitter account and you can join the front line of defense against anti-energy activists in Colorado.

Thanks again to the dedicated Colorado Energy Citizens that are taking a stand for responsible natural gas production and the jobs and economic benefits it brings our state.

The battle over oil and natural gas development, specifically the hydraulic fracturing process, will be centered on Colorado this year. Extreme and well-funded interests are focusing on statewide ballot measures to needlessly ban the practice, and target other businesses while they’re at it.

The proposed initiatives filed are so broad they would allow local governments to regulate any for-profit business. Imagine the signal that sends to businesses of all sizes that their future could be tied up with the whims of locally elected officials.

It would be devastating to energy jobs across Colorado.

The good news is that leaders in the business community have already swung into action to rally job creators against this proposal. A major opinion piece in The Denver Post by three of the state’s key business leaders sounded the alarm about the real-world implication of an initiative that would cripple the ability of private-sector companies to operate in our state. These voices, combined with those of Colorado Energy Citizens and others fighting against misinformation and extremism, are having a strong effect, as leaders across the political spectrum poured cold water on this effort.

But that’s not the end of the battle…or even the end of the beginning.

Well-funded interests in Congress are expected to propose a number of initiatives in the weeks ahead. Colorado Energy Citizens will carefully monitor these measures and report to you on their implications for energy independence and economic growth in the state. We’ll need all the help we can get to blunt the interests that are targeting our energy future.

Colorado economist Barry Poulson—a retired University of Colorado professor—provides a very compelling economic and political analysis of what it means to be anti-fracking. The bottom line, according to Poulson, is that “[B]eing a ‘fractivist’ is essentially the same thing as being in favor of yet more economic inequality.”

Poulson goes on: “If anti-fracking groups successfully push a statewide ban, it would wipe out a major source of investment, growth and jobs in rural Colorado counties while significantly raising the cost of power for low-income city-dwellers already struggling with the high cost of living driven by urban ‘smart growth’ policies.

“State and federal regulations that limit hydraulic fracking will only deteriorate hard-won incomes and standards of living throughout rural Colorado, exacerbating the economic inequality the president and urban elites claim to be so concerned about.”

For his evidence, Poulson compares Boulder County and Weld County, and the cities of Boulder and Greeley. Weld County has promoted business investment—including energy development—and its policies support working families and the middle class. In contrast, Boulder has become “a wealthy enclave, with disenfranchised workers, similar to many ski towns.”

Forbes hit the nail on the head in a recent article by asking “why all the fuss?” in regards to misguided opposition to hydraulic fracturing in Colorado, despite its long—and safe—history in the state:

Colorado Has Been Fracking For 40 Years; Why All The Fuss?

In the coming months, Coloradans will have the power to vote on the future role of fracking in the state. As a result, Colorado has become a focal point for environmental groups seeking moratoriums and bans on hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. “fracking,” an oil and gas technology they claim is new, untested, unproven, and a significant risk to health and safety. Contrary to the anti-fracking narrative, fracking has been safely conducted in the state not for years but for decades.

A scientific paper from forty years ago gives a glimpse into Colorado’s prolific fracking past. According to the executive summary, “The Wattenberg field near Denver is a reservoir that typifies the ‘tight gas reservoir.’ Through advancements in fracturing [fracking] technology, Wattenberg is now considered commercial.”

The region north of Denver and extending to Greeley Colorado, where anti-fracking activists are currently campaigning “was used as a laboratory to develop the optimum fracturing treatment” since the 1970’s. Claims that there has not been significant scientific study into fracturing betray an ignorance of forty years of R&D.

Hydraulic fracturing and the people of the oil and gas industry have long played a safe and productive role in the region. In 2008, just one year prior to the current boom, Weld County, northeast of Denver was already the largest gas producing county in all of Colorado. That year the Energy Information Administration (EIA) ranked Colorado’s Wattenberg as having the 9th largest proven reserves of any Wet Natural Gas Field in the Nation. The greater DJ Basin had over 20,000 wells, 11,000 of which were within the Wattenberg, and many of which had been hydraulically fractured not just once, but multiple times throughout the years. In 2008 the region produced 190 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 2.8 trillion cubic feet of gas since the field’s discovery in 1970.

If you are going to produce oil and natural gas with hydraulic fracturing, you need water. Water is the main component of hydraulic fracturing fluid. Claims that hydraulic fracturing uses too much water and that energy companies are diverting water from other users are baseless. Here are the facts about hydraulic fracturing and water usage:

Myth: Hydraulic fracturing consumes large amounts of water, diverting it from residential and agricultural users.

Fact: The typical well that is hydraulically fractured requires between 2 to 4.5 million gallons of water, roughly the same amount as used in 3 to 6 Olympic sized swimming pools. This is usually over the course of a few days. After the well is done being hydraulically fractured, it no longer needs water. This one-time use of hydraulic fracturing fluid can lead to decades of natural gas production.

Between 2 and 4.5 million gallons of water may sound like a lot, but many other processes use much more water. For instance, Denver’s Cherokee coal-fired power plant uses that much water in a single day. Agricultural crop irrigation in Colorado uses 12.3 million gallons of water a day.

In 2010, hydraulic fracturing made up .08% of the total water usage in the state. Agriculture consumed the largest share, at 85.5%. By 2015, the state projects that water for hydraulic fracturing will increase to .1% of total water usage. When looking at overall water consumption, it’s clear that hydraulic fracturing poses little threat to divert Colorado’s water supply away from residential or agricultural use.

By Colorado law, those with vested water rights (including farmers and residential users) have higher priority for water usage than do companies that wish to divert water from surface water for hydraulic fracturing.

Myth: Using 4 million gallons to hydraulically fracture a well is an unusually large amount of water.

Fact: To put this number in perspective, here are other ways in which 4 million gallons of water are used:

• One golf course uses 4 million gallons of water over the course of a summer month.
• Every six minutes, New York City uses 4 million gallons of water.
• Four million gallons is 1.3% of the amount of water used in car washes around the nation every day.

Myth: Hydraulic fracturing requires water from lakes, streams, or groundwater.

Fact: As in any industry, technology is continuing to improve the hydraulic fracturing process. Drillers are finding ways to use their resources more efficiently and exploring alternative sources of water. Increasingly, companies are recycling hydraulic fracturing water. They treat water that has already been used for hydraulic fracturing and re-use it, decreasing the amount of fresh water needed to treat a well.

Join a growing number of Americans from across the nation who are working for a more secure energy future.

The Denver Post reports that anti-fracking activists are seeking to amend the state constitution with the Community Rights Amendment to allow any municipality to ban any business for virtually any reason!

The proposal is aimed squarely at killing Colorado oil and natural gas development—and jobs—but its bludgeon could reach much further. State business leaders are already expressing concern. “It looks like a rewriting of the Colorado Corporate Code,” said Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association. “I just don't see how anyone does business in Colorado” if the amendment is enacted.

Elected officials are also voicing doubts and looking for a solution. House Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (D-Boulder) said, “When you do things at the ballot box, I think you frequently make a lot of mistakes that create difficulties in the future. It would be far better if the legislature took a good look at this.”

In the meantime, anti-fracking activists must first try to collect more than 86,000 Coloradan signatures to put the measure on the ballot. We encourage Energy Citizens in Colorado to tell friends and family to reject this proposal—for the good of the state’s economy, local jobs, and energy costs.

They can’t say we didn’t warn them. When four Colorado towns were considering local fracking bans last year, we tried to tell voters that approving the bans would hurt their towns’ economies. Now they are seeing some of the damaging effects these bans are having.

“Founder and CEO Jonathan Sawyer said the Lafayette Community Rights Act, which was passed by voters in November and bans all new oil and gas drilling within city limits, puts a business like his in questionable legal territory….

“Because the charter amendment states that it is illegal in Lafayette to ‘engage in the creation of fossil fuel, nuclear or other non-sustainable energy production and delivery infrastructures,’ Sawyer said it's not clear to him if a company like XetaWave could be prosecuted even if it doesn't extract energy itself.

“’My read of it is that we sell into the oil and gas industry and our equipment is used in the infrastructure of fracking,’ he said. ‘The way the ordinance reads is that it doesn't matter where the fracking infrastructure is.’

“Sawyer said when he asked David Williamson, the city attorney in Lafayette, whether XetaWave could get into trouble per the language of the act, he was given no assurances that it wouldn't.”

That’s the future that anti-fracking activists want for towns across Colorado. They are making a push for local fracking bans in 2014. If they succeed, it will mean more stories like this for the communities that believe their misleading rhetoric.

In 2013, four towns passed fracking bans. Since state law governs the regulation of energy production, these bans may be overturned by the courts. That’s why those who want to see fracking disappear from Colorado are turning to this proposed constitutional amendment.

This amendment isn’t about empowering local communities; it’s about stopping fracking in Colorado. The activists behind this amendment want to see an end to a process that’s being used in 90% of the oil and gas wells in the state to produce the natural gas that is growing our economy and making us energy secure. Fracking has been done safely for decades, but these activists continue to use misleading anecdotes and outright lies to attack it.

Anti-fracking activists love to show people lighting their tap water on fire, claiming that it’s because of fracking. But there is one problem with the narrative being promoted by these activistsp: it’s not fracking that causes flaming water. Instead, it’s naturally-occurring methane. This fact has prompted Colorado State University professor Ken Carlson to undertake a public education campaign to get the truth out about fracking and methane.

As the Tribune notes, “Methane is a naturally occurring substance, whether it be from the natural gas that drilling rigs dig up (thermogenic), or from bacteria beneath the ground (biogenic). Each have their own ‘signature,’ and many water wells in Weld County show some trace amounts of biogenic methane.

“Geologists and water scientists and health and state environmental officials have known this since long before Hollywood got involved, long before the idea of hydraulic fracturing a horizontal well became common practice more than a mile beneath the surface.”

This is just one more instance where anti-fracking activists’ rhetoric doesn’t match reality. It’s up to Colorado Energy Citizens to make sure that people across the state know the truth about fracking and methane.

What state is in the top five for job creation? Colorado. And as the Motley Fool oil and gas production is a big factor:

“Like North Dakota, Colorado can tip its hat to the oil and gas industry for much of its encouraging job growth. Although not as grand as the Bakken, the Niobara Shale is nonetheless a sprawling play, with much of it lying under the surface of the northeast part of the state. As a result, it has juiced employment in the area, particularly for people in Douglas and Weld counties (where jobs grew by 5.8% and 4.8%, respectively, over the past year).”

Unfortunately, this job creation is under attack in the state. Anti-fracking activists are trying to get hydraulic fracturing shut down. They succeeded in four towns last year. Now they are considering a statewide ban or other ballot initiatives to restrict fracking even more.

Colorado is doing better than almost every other state when it comes to job creation. Don’t let anti-energy activists put an end to this.

With three Colorado towns voting to ban fracking during the 2013 election and one town in a recount, anti-energy activists are emboldened to try for a statewide ban. We agree with a recent editorial in the Pueblo Chieftain that calls this idea “a huge mistake.”

“A 2013 study from the University of Colorado at Boulder found that the oil and natural gas energy industry generated $29.6 billion for the Colorado economy last year. The industry supports an estimated 110,000 jobs statewide, and generates $1.6 billion in tax revenue for Colorado, which provides support for schools, roads, parks, and more.

“And experts expect oil and gas production in Colorado will continue to grow in the coming years, giving the state’s economy an even bigger shot in the arm.”

That’s exactly right. The oil and gas industry is vital to Colorado’s economy. Without fracking, this industry wouldn’t exist in the state. Voters need to consider these facts before deciding on any local or statewide proposal to ban fracking.

Even though fracking or hydraulic fracturing has repeatedly been proven safe, anti-energy activists continue to attack this scientific process to develop natural gas and oil. The latest example is a study that claims fracking is linked to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in Colorado waterways.

“The Colorado River is a drainage basin for almost half of western Colorado. To correlate the [endocrine-disrupting chemical] levels in the river to oil and gas drilling is extreme cherry-picking from a number of sources that are known to contain [endocrine-disrupting chemicals].”

Although newspapers have been touting this flawed study as proving fracking is the reason these chemicals are in the waterways, COGA notes that this isn’t what the study actually says:

“… authors of the study are unsure of the exact source of the [endocrine-disrupting chemicals] and even acknowledge that the chemicals could come from a host of other sources besides fracking.”

Clearly, those opposed to Colorado oil and gas production don’t care about facts. It’s up to Energy Citizens to push back against their false claims and make sure that oil and gas development have a future in our state.

In a recent opinion editorial published in the Boulder Daily Camera, Wendy Shefte writes about why concerned citizens should learn the facts about natural gas production before taking a stance on the issue.

Another look at fracking

Cass Sunstein, known for being a Harvard Law School Professor and a staunch Democrat, coined the term "Informational Cascade," meaning the process by which awareness of the aggregate opinions and beliefs of others can largely control an individual's taste and belief formation. In other words, it's human nature to group yourself with people you find to be like-minded, and then to attribute truth to their beliefs, without validating those beliefs independently.

I believe that we all need to be careful when confronted with Informational Cascade, especially when it affects the lives and livelihoods of ourselves and our neighbors.

Since there are many editorials appearing in the Camera that are anti-hydraulic fracturing (known more commonly as "fracking" ), I think it's prudent for concerned citizens to strive to avoid Informational Cascade. For those people of Boulder County who find it important to use integrity in their everyday lives, and who wish to become informed about issues before they take a stance, I offer the following information. I hope that it brings scientific knowledge to the forefront of this debate.

The good news: natural gas is cleaner than oil or gasoline. It emits half the CO2, and less than a third the nitrogen oxides as oil and gasoline, and just 1 percent the sulfur oxide as coal. As many scientists have said, natural gas is a smart transitioning fuel for the electricity sector until we can get a greater amount of alternative energy sources on the grid. This idea becomes more attractive when we realize we have at least 100 years of natural gas still available. Also good news is the fact that equipment now found at the majority of well sites are capturing 99 percent of emissions, and that overall these emissions are 97 percent lower than they were in 2011…Read more here.

What exactly is former Boulder mayor Paul Danish proposing? Here’s the text of his suggested constitutional amendment:

"Colorado cities and counties shall have the power to regulate or prohibit the production of oil and natural gas and to regulate or prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) within their borders.

"Upon the adoption of a permanent or temporary prohibition on oil or gas production or fracking by any recognized Colorado city or county, the sale of gasoline, diesel fuel, and natural gas within that city or county shall be prohibited for the duration of the ban."

Clearly, this proposal was made in jest. And yet, it makes a serious point. Voters that support banning fracking still want to benefit from the products produced by this process. Many people just don’t see the connection between fracking and the natural gas that heats their home or the gasoline that fuels their car.

Without fracking, it would be largely impossible to efficiently produce the abundant amounts of oil and natural gas being produced in Colorado today. If Mayor Danish’s proposal gets more attention, maybe the state’s voters will begin seeing the problems that anti-fracking proposals will cause.

On Election Day, three Colorado cities passed bans on hydraulic fracturing or fracking, and one is awaiting a recount. Even though fracking does not pose a risk to public health, and the process is regulated at the state (not local) level, a majority of voters in these towns approved the bans. This has many Coloradoans concerned.

With over 90 percent of oil and gas wells in Colorado being developed using fracking , attempts to ban this process pose a significant threat to an industry that supports 111,000 jobs in the state. Among those who are alarmed is Gov. John Hickenlooper. He recently issued a statement expressing his opposition to these bans:

“Local fracking bans essentially deprive people of their legal rights to access the property they own. Our state Constitution protects these rights. A framework exists for local communities to work collaboratively with state regulators and the energy industry. We all share the same desire of keeping communities safe.”

There’s a battle in Colorado over the future of hydraulic fracturing. Fresh off victories in three local elections and one still awaiting a recount, anti-fracking activists are looking to ban the process statewide. If they succeed, Gov. John Hickenlooper doesn’t see a bright energy future for the state.

As Gov. Hickenlooper points out in a National Journal interview, “If it was really passed and upheld, it would certainly have severe economic impacts. We have pipeline systems, so we could still get natural gas to people's furnaces. It's not like we would run out of natural gas. It would stop almost all drilling. You can't drill economically without fracking anymore.”

Over 90 percent of Colorado’s oil and gas wells have been developed using fracking. If voters ban this process, they ban oil and gas production in the state. The 75 percent of Colorado homes that use natural gas for heat would be significantly affected. And the 111,000 jobs that oil and gas drilling support could easily disappear.

Election Day is over, and anti-energy activists were busy. In Ohio and Colorado, they pushed local initiatives to ban hydraulic fracturing. While they did not win everywhere, they did succeed in spreading misinformation and fear. These results show that Energy Citizens need to fight even harder to protect U.S. energy production and increase our energy security.

In Ohio, voters in Bowling Green and Youngstown rejected hydraulic fracturing bans. For Youngstown voters, this was the second time this year that they voted down an anti-energy ordinance. However, voters in one Ohio town, Oberlin, did support a ban.

In Colorado, American energy production did not fare as well. Three cities voted for a hydraulic fracturing ban. One city in the state, Broomfield, rejected such a ban.

These results will surely embolden those who want to see hydraulic fracturing come to an end in the United States. There will likely be more initiatives on the ballot in 2014 to ban hydraulic fracturing. Energy Citizens need to start working today to ensure that our friends and neighbors know the truth about this process.

Hydraulic fracturing is safe and necessary for our nation to move towards energy independence. Let’s work together to get this message out to the public!

The more we work together, the sooner we can accomplish our goal of securing Colorado’s energy future. Hold an Energy Citizens gathering at your house to get to know your fellow Colorado Energy Citizens. Energy Citizens house parties are a great venue for brainstorming ways to get our message out, meeting with local officials, organizing Energy Citizens events, and more. If you are interested in holding a gathering at your house—or would like to attend someone else’s—please send Energy Citizens coordinator Sean Duffy an email at sean@energycitizens.org.

Energizing Colorado’s grassroots communities – along with mobilizing Colorado women to speak out for domestic energy and jobs – is the focus of Amy Oliver Cooke, founder of Mothers In Love With Fracking.

Throughout 2013, Amy and her troops have been out in their pink t-shirts at city council meetings, rallies, and community gatherings spreading the facts about hydraulic fracturing, like its real safety record. At her “day job” as director of the Energy Policy Center at the Independence Institute, Amy and her team have been providing facts, research and data to counter the false claims of anti-energy groups. Check out Amy on Colorado Public Television discussing the efforts to ban hydraulic fracturing in Colorado.

Amy is already hard at work, building coalitions across Colorado to stop a statewide hydraulic fracturing ban that could hit the ballot in 2014.

Colorado’s status as one of the leaders in energy development – including efforts to encourage approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline – was the focus of a recent tour and discussion in Golden.

At a morning event at the Ball Corporation manufacturing facility in Golden cosponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute, Congressman Ed Perlmutter got a firsthand look at cutting-edge energy technologies. The Congressman also met with area business leaders who underscored the vital importance of projects such as the Keystone Pipeline to create jobs and foster American energy independence.

Even before the final ballots were counted in local fracking ban initiatives in four Colorado cities, anti-energy forces were already sending strong signals that they will move quickly to put a statewide ban on the ballot in 2014 – a move that, if successful, would be devastating to Colorado’s already-fragile jobs market.

With bans passing in Boulder, Broomfield, Fort Collins and Lafayette, anti-energy groups immediately shifted to broad discussions about enacting a hydraulic fracturing ban in all 64 counties – a potential that raised deep concerns even among more liberal editorial pages. The Denver Post called the fracking ban movement an “irresponsible agenda.” Other media outlets called the four local bans a “canary in the coal mine” presaging the dangers to energy independence and economic growth that would come with a statewide ban.

The four local bans are largely symbolic – Lafayette, for example, hadn’t issued a drilling permit since 1900 – the momentum that the anti-energy groups get from these elections will certainly be exploited.

Colorado Energy Citizens will be redoubling our statewide outreach in 2014 to educate, activate and mobilize grassroots Coloradans to push back against the scare tactics and false information used by extreme environmentalist groups. Stay tuned for what you can do to get involved in this statewide effort early in 2014.

Colorado’s status as one of the leaders in energy development – including efforts to encourage approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline – was the focus of a recent tour and discussion in Golden.

At a morning event at the Ball Corporation manufacturing facility in Golden cosponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute, Congressman Ed Perlmutter got a firsthand look at cutting-edge energy technologies. The Congressman also met with area business leaders who underscored the vital importance of projects such as the Keystone Pipeline to create jobs and foster American energy independence.

Energizing Colorado’s grassroots communities – along with mobilizing Colorado women to speak out for domestic energy and jobs – is the focus of Amy Oliver Cooke, founder of Mothers In Love With Fracking.

Throughout 2013, Amy and her troops have been out in their pink t-shirts at city council meetings, rallies, and community gatherings spreading the facts about hydraulic fracturing, like its real safety record. At her “day job” as director of the Energy Policy Center at the Independence Institute, Amy and her team have been providing facts, research and data to counter the false claims of anti-energy groups. Check out Amy on Colorado Public Television discussing the efforts to ban hydraulic fracturing in Colorado.

Amy is already hard at work, building coalitions across Colorado to stop a statewide hydraulic fracturing ban that could hit the ballot in 2014.

Hydraulic fracturing in Colorado is good for our economy, good for energy security and safe for our children. In over 60 years of hydraulic fracturing, across more than one million projects, the United States has never recorded a single instance of groundwater contamination caused by fracking.

We will be delivering the petition to legislators, the media and the governor to show that Coloradans support energy production and oppose any initiatives to ban fracking in our state. Help us show the strong support that oil and natural gas production has in Colorado.

Anti-energy advocates won in three out of four Colorado cities where there were fracking bans placed on the ballot. That’s bad news for energy development in Colorado. This shows just how important it is for Energy Citizens to get active. If we don’t start spreading the truth about hydraulic fracturing and energy production, Colorado’s economy could be in real trouble.

Why is this bad news for Colorado? Because without hydraulic fracturing, there will be no oil and natural gas industry in the state. If this kind of drilling goes away, so do thousands of Colorado jobs.

The Denver Post editorial board on Wednesday released an editorial on the “almost certainly illegal” and misguided election results in three of the four Colorado cities that voted in favor of hydraulic fracturing bans.

Regrettable votes on Colorado fracking bans

We're disappointed, although hardly surprised, that three of four communities with anti-fracking measures on the ballot this week approved them.

Given the politics of Boulder and Lafayette, it would have taken a near miracle for opponents to stop proposals to ban fracking, especially since neither community had anything to lose except possible litigation costs in defending the measures.

And never mind that no one seemingly understands the full implications of Lafayette's confusing and radical measure. Symbolism needn't be coherent.
Passage of a moratorium in Fort Collins was nearly a slam dunk, too, even though the City Council and local business leaders urged residents to vote "no."…Read more here.

The Washington Examiner recently published an op-ed making sense of election outcomes in Ohio and Colorado last week. Take a look and see how anti-energy activists used scare tactics to advance their agenda at the detriment of families across these two states.

Big Green fear-mongering scares up some election wins

Among the winners of Tuesday's elections were fear and paranoia. In four cities in Ohio and Colorado, voters were persuaded by Big Green scare tactics to ban a safe and environmentally friendly technology that is making America energy independent. Measures banning the natural gas extraction process commonly called “fracking” were approved in three Colorado cities: Boulder, Fort Collins and Lafayette. A fourth measure in Ohio appears headed to passage as well.

Fortunately, the environmental extremists didn't win everywhere. Anti-fracking measures failed in Ohio's Youngstown and Bowling Green balloting. Fracking advocates also won in Broomfield, Colo., albeit by a narrow 51-49 percent margin. The anti-fracking forces have vowed to try again next election cycle and they will be back, with hundreds of millions of dollars from the same liberal foundations that funded this year's campaign.

What made voters in places like Boulder ban fracking were stories promoted by Big Green propagandists and enablers that claimed the process — which involves injecting water and small amounts of chemicals into shale rock formations thousands of feet underground to release oil and gas — seeps into groundwater and poisons it. The stories were undoubtedly very scary. But there’s no evidence to confirm such claims, according to the federal government. In the one case that involved minor contamination in Pennsylvania, it was related to a faulty well design, not to fracking, which has been used in thousands of wells since the 1940s.

“I still have not seen any evidence of fracking per se contaminating groundwater,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told reporters in August. There are risks, he said, as there are in any large project. But those risks are “manageable” with the proper regulations. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in April: "Fracking as a technique has been around for decades. ... I have performed the procedure myself very safely." President Obama himself has regularly touted natural gas as a “bridge to a low-carbon future.”… Read more here.

“Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday he welcomes the increasing production of natural gas in Colorado while holding the oil and gas industry to ‘highest standards’ to prevent any negative effects of fracking.”

Considering that oil and gas production contributes $29.6 billion to Colorado’s economy, it’s good that Gov. Hickenlooper is a strong supporter of the industry. The importance of energy development to the state is something that opponents of hydraulic fracturing don’t seem to understand. If they succeed in curtailing this process in the state, it will be a huge blow to Colorado’s economy.

We agree with Gov. Hickenlooper when he says, "I know horizontal drilling works for us, not against us."

Some anti-energy activists in Colorado have tried to use the flood as leverage for their cause. Those opposed to hydraulic fracturing were quick to say that these floods unleashed hydraulic fracturing fluids into flood water. There’s only one problem – there is nothing to back up these claims.

“There were no hydraulic fracturing operations functioning when the floods hit the region, no fracking equipment at the well sites, no fracking chemicals on any site,’ said [Doug Flanders, director of policy and external affairs for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association].

“There were no wellbore incidents, 1,900 oil and gas wells were shut-in, or capped in real time, and the integrity of tanks remained intact. The 12 notable oil spills that did occur could fill five percent of an Olympic size swimming pool and were the result of cracks in flow lines that connected to equipment,’ Flanders said.”

It’s unfortunate that those trying to curtail oil and gas development in Colorado feel compelled to distort the truth.

Caleb Bonham is one of Colorado’s up-and-coming issue activists and is a constant presence at community and civic events promoting the Energy Citizens mission.

Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, Caleb attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration. Since graduation, Caleb has paired his commitment to activism with a strong following on numerous new media platforms as a blogger and video producer

In addition to a major presence in Colorado, Caleb’s work has appeared in The New York Times and National Review, as well as in broadcast outlets such as Fox News and NPR. “It’s critically important that we spread the good news about how we can develop American energy right here in Colorado and work to end our dependency on Middle East countries,” Caleb says. “That’s why I’m so excited to represent Energy Citizens in communities across Colorado and discuss how families are benefitting from a strong, safe Colorado energy industry.”

After months of grassroots work throughout Colorado, efforts to fight damaging local bans on hydraulic fracturing are now before voters, with mail ballots having reached homes in mid-October. Energy Citizens and a broad coalition of groups opposing bans in Broomfield, Fort Collins, Lafayette and Loveland made a compelling case to area voters that such bans are irresponsible, counterproductive and based on false and misleading claims about HF.

The good news is that your efforts to alert neighbors and opinion leaders – including reliably liberal voices such as major media editorial pages – are paying off with growing public opposition to the bans.

For example, The Denver Post, with a liberal editorial board, vocalized strongly against the local bans. Other papers around the state made similar cases.

Whichever way these local bans go at the ballot box, the fact remains that members of Colorado Energy Citizens were very active in speaking out and fighting back. If, as is rumored, environmentalists mount a statewide hydraulic fracturing ban for the 2014 ballot, Energy Citizens will be there again to make the case that draconian bans are bad for Colorado families, communities and our economy.

We salute Judy Martinez of Loveland, who is one of the citizen activists who make Energy Citizens successful. This month, Judy has been working to fight the local ban on hydraulic fracturing in her community.

A retired educator, Judy spends significant time researching public affairs issues and producing information sheets on local issues in northern Colorado. She believes energy independence is a key pillar of national security and speaks out about hydraulic fracturing as a way for America to protect its own future.

Judy joined Energy Citizens after hearing a Colorado Energy Citizens presentation at a Loveland-area civic group in February. She joined because she wanted to hear “alternative voices” on hydraulic fracturing and energy issues in general. Judy views Energy Citizens as a “counterbalance to what the environmentalists say about fracking with little pushback.” Since joining, she has attended public events, helped us with outreach at a major statewide convention and organized special Energy Citizens meetings for her fellow activists in northern Colorado.

“Those of us who speak up for America and our future and who love this country need to hear the truth about energy,” she said. “Energy Citizens gave me great facts to share with others, but also gave me a new network of men and women here in Colorado and around the country. There are more of us who believe in energy independence than the media lead us to believe, and Energy Citizens shows just how many of us there really are.”

In the wake of devastating floods in Colorado earlier this year, some radical environmental groups tried to fuel anti-fracking efforts by irresponsibly claiming that relatively minor leaks from oil and gas wells caused by flood waters released toxic chemicals into the environment. These scare tactics were quickly proven false by the state health department.

The state quickly moved to douse these claims which placed added worries on families and communities that were suffering major losses from the historic flooding.

“Although much attention was focused on spills from oil and gas operations, it is reassuring the sampling shows no evidence of oil and gas pollutants,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, the department’s executive director and Colorado’s chief medical officer.

Exploiting one of the largest natural disasters in state history for political gain drew howls from the media, including a powerful column by Denver Post editorial page editor Vincent Carroll that you can read here. You can also read a detailed national story on the false claims here.

This sad story shows just why Colorado Energy Citizens is such a needed resource to not only help tell the truth about hydraulic fracturing and combat the false claims by anti-energy activists – but to mobilize members like you to speak out and fight back.

The Coloradoan published an article today that every person in the state should read. It’s about the proposed five year moratorium on fracking in Fort Collins and the legal and financial implications that are likely to arise should the ban pass.

Doug Flanders, director of policy and external affairs for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, pointed out that oil and gas development supports thousands of families in Colorado and “the state Supreme Court has clearly stated oil and gas (development) cannot be banned within a city, county or municipality”—in reference to a past local ban ruled in violation of state jurisdiction.

The article brings up an important point that the law, if passed, would likely result in substantial taxpayer dollars spent by the city to defend the moratorium—which we already know is poorly conceived. Mayor pro tem Gerry Horak said that voters “have to consider the consequences of the measure passing.” “You have to look at what’s the pragmatic end of this,” he said.

Read the article in its entirety here and spread the word to friends and family!

Throughout Colorado, activists have been pushing local bans on hydraulic fracturing. These bans threaten Colorado’s energy future and jobs – the oil and natural gas industry supports 107,000 jobs in the state.

“Led by former state Rep. Don Beezley, a Republican, and former RTD board member Lee Kemp, who last year ran for state Senate as a Democrat, the group plans to speak out against a fracking ban while supporting other energy methods, such as wind and solar. The group also supports Broomfield’s new agreement with oil and gas drilling company Sovereign, which imposes strict environmental and regulatory standards in order for the company to continue drilling within city limits.”

Ensuring these local hydraulic fracturing bans go down to defeat is important for the future of Colorado’s energy production. Energy Citizens need to make sure they let their friends and neighbors know what’s at stake with these local initiatives.

Some anti-energy activists in Colorado have tried to use the flood as leverage for their cause. Those opposed to hydraulic fracturing were quick to say that these floods unleashed hydraulic fracturing fluids into flood water. There’s only one problem – there is nothing to back up these claims.

“'There were no hydraulic fracturing operations functioning when the floods hit the region, no fracking equipment at the well sites, no fracking chemicals on any site,’ said [Doug Flanders, director of policy and external affairs for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association].

“'There were no wellbore incidents, 1,900 oil and gas wells were shut-in, or capped in real time, and the integrity of tanks remained intact. The 12 notable oil spills that did occur could fill five percent of an Olympic size swimming pool and were the result of cracks in flow lines that connected to equipment,’ Flanders said.”

It’s unfortunate that those trying to curtail oil and gas development in Colorado feel compelled to distort the truth.

In a letter to the editor of the Boulder Daily Camera, Sean Moore discusses the benefits in employment and above-average wages that hydraulic fracturing brings to the state.

Sean Moore: Humanizing the numbers in fracking debate

For those following the debate over hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the associated economic benefits of the oil and gas industry are already well known. However, these numbers are rarely related to the people they represent. It is time to humanize these numbers.

According to an economic impacts study released Monday by the CU Leeds Business School, Colorado's oil and gas industry supported over 111,000 jobs, provided $6.5 billion dollars in wages and accounted for nearly $30 billion in economic output in 2012 alone.

To put 111,000 jobs into perspective, it is approximately equal to the combined populations of Boulder and Superior. Tie in $6.5 billion in total wages, and those employed directly and indirectly by the oil and gas industry have an average income of $74,800 -- about 1.5 times higher than the average income in Colorado ... Read more here.

A recent op-ed in the Denver Postpointed out what Energy Citizens already know: more U.S. energy production is good for U.S. energy security.

The op-ed quotes David L. Goldwyn, a former U.S. State Department Special Envoy and Coordinator of International Energy Affairs, on the ways American energy imports help American foreign policy and energy security: "Lower prices, lower emissions [related to fuel switching from coal to gas for electricity generation], greater diversification, more competitive pricing. It's a diplomatic royal flush."
Unfortunately, as we are seeing in Colorado, some are trying to shut down this production. By attacking hydraulic fracturing, these activists are trying to kill the process that is largely responsible for boosting U.S. energy development.

We can’t afford to let that happen. Hydraulic fracturing is doing great things for our nation. Let’s make sure it can continue to produce these benefits for decades to come.

As the Denver Business Journal reports, thanks to the increase in oil and natural gas development, you have a lot more money in your pocket: “The average U.S. household had $1,200 extra to spend in 2012 due to the boom in domestic oil and gas production, according to a new study from IHS Inc., a consulting and analysis firm based in Douglas County.”

That’s great news for all of us now, but we’re in for even better news down the road: “And that’s expected to grow to more than $2,000 in 2015 and to more than $3,500 in 2025.”

This study looked at the national picture. What about Colorado? The Colorado Oil and Gas Association points out that a recent University of Colorado study shows that oil and natural gas production is providing some great benefits for Colorado in 2012: “The oil and gas industry generated $29.6 billion output in Colorado’s economy and directly contributed almost $1.6 billion to public revenue in 2012.”

Keep these figures in mind as you hear some people in the state talk about hydraulic fracturing. The recent increase in oil and natural gas production is largely due to this process. When they attack hydraulic fracturing, they are attacking the economic growth that’s one of the few bright spots in today’s economy.

As Energy Citizens know, support for pro-energy policies isn’t a partisan issue. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents can all rally around the idea of more U.S. energy production. That’s something that was shown recently by Colorado’s Gov. John Hickenlooper and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.

At a shale energy conference in Denver, Democratic Governor Hickenlooper teamed up with Republican Governor Fallin to discuss the virtues of shale oil and gas development. In their remarks, they sounded themes that any Energy Citizen could support, such as Gov. Hickenlooper’s statement that “I know horizontal drilling works for us, not against us.”

Gov. Fallin pointed out just what increased oil and natural gas production means for America: “For the first time, North American energy independence is truly a possibility.”

It’s great to see these two governors working together to increase our nation’s shale energy production.

Colorado Energy Citizens is a diverse group of mothers, fathers, business leaders, and concerned Coloradans who believe in Colorado and support safe energy production. We care about the future of our communities and our children, and we know that energy development—especially natural gas production—can be done safely in Colorado.

That’s why we are leading the discussion in our towns on responsible energy production, including the hydraulic fracturing process that is helping to create thousands of jobs in Colorado, grow our economy, and get us closer to energy independence. We know that hydraulic fracturing has been used safely in Colorado for decades, helping to bring affordable, accessible energy to heat our homes, and keeping our businesses running and growing.

Colorado Energy Citizens are coming together to make our voices heard by speaking out to neighbors, elected officials, and policymakers. Join us today or tell others about what we are doing to support common-sense energy policies in Colorado.